A Dangerous Business
by Caitriona3
Summary: Miss Belladonna Lilly Baggins would very much like to know how she ended up on such an adventure! The Dwarves just know they need a fourteenth member in order to pay proper honor to Yavanna, wife of their creator, Mahal. One of Yavanna's children will do...even if she looks more like a grocer than the burglar they expected.
1. Concerning Bella

_Author's Note: ALSO - if you've read by fem-Bilbo story in March, you are going to recognize a LOT of this, but I had a reviewer who prompted me to make that collection of one shots into a real story. I'll leave the other up for posterity - and so I can read the reviews - but this will be the result of that prompt. I'm trying to work on my other WIP's and some of them are being a real pain. I'm also trying to find a new job while covering more positions than I did before due to people leaving and/or being let go. A lot of whining that, but also a bit of why I've been so scatterbrained lately. You have my deepest apologies and I hope you will stick with me regardless. Until I find the new job, it might get worse. Again - my apologies. I am sorry._

 **Concerning Bella**

 _ **A Little Family History….**_

" _In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort."_

And what a Hobbit-hole it was too.

Bungo Baggins designed the entire complex while he courted Belladonna Rose Took, daughter of the long-lived Old Took. Gerontius Took would settle for nothing less than the best for his daughters, and if Belladonna would be moving to Hobbiton, then she would be living in the finest smial available. Three years passed during the designing and building of the place now known as Bag End. During that time, Bungo pursued quite the proper courtship, which worried the Tooks. Belladonna possessed the Took curiosity and wandering ways in their fullest and her family worried the staid Baggins would end up breaking her spirit.

On the contrary…

Bungo enjoyed the tales of her travels, listening with rapt attention to each detail. He even learned the Elf tongues so she could practice when at home. Indeed, given the sheer size of her family clan, they should not have been surprised to see her gravitate more and more to the young fellow who paid her greater attention than anyone else could spare. Not that he neglected her family, letting any of them pass on stories of their adventures, but Belladonna came first in his mind and that, more than anything else, sold Old Took on Bungo Baggins as a son-in-law. Any male who would devote so much of himself to his daughter's happiness must be a good match.

And so it proved.

Bungo and Belladonna enjoyed their married life. He spent most of his time puttering around in his garden, working alongside the Gamgees, and scribbling away in various journals. Most people believed these to be works on family history, quite the appropriate task for a gentle Hobbit, and they were correct, though the actual history being recorded would likely have horrified his more prim and uptight relatives. Instead of recording the minutia of Hobbit life or the history of the Baggins family, Bungo recorded his wife's many stories of the lands beyond the Shire. No one suspected the hidden rebel living within the skin of a proper Baggins.

Old Took laughed so hard when he found out that he almost dropped a cask of ale.

The marriage produced two children. Yavanna blessed them with one son, Bilbo, and one daughter, Belladonna, called Bella to differentiate her from her mother. Ten years separated the elder from the younger, but that did not seem to matter. The good folk of Hobbiton remarked on Bilbo's devotion to his little sister – how he would play with her and keep her occupied as their mother shopped in the market. He would respond to her crying when at home, allowing their father to remain with any guests who might be visiting. Many mothers would be heard speaking in wistful tones of having such a good firstborn. Everyone agreed that Belladonna made an excellent mother despite the wildness of her youth.

Though they did wish she would not fill her children's heads with fireside tales.

All things being considered, however, they could overlook some eccentricities. The three daughters of Gerontius Took carried rather infamous reputations after all, and they would be glad if the oddities remained at a few stories. Bungo seemed to be raising his son in the proper Baggins fashion and Hobbiton rested in the knowledge he would do the same for young Bella.

Then came the Fell Winter.

Bungo, Belladonna, and the children visited their Brandybuck cousins that winter, braving the temperatures for the Midwinter feast. According to stories told later, no one could remember a brighter, cheerier Midwinter…but then memories are tricky things. Given the tragedy which occurred two days later, one might suspect that anything 'Before' would take on a glowing remembrance, to be more than they were. Perhaps, perhaps not. Regardless, the feast lived on in memory as a wonderful time filled with food, presents, laughter, and love.

Brandy Hall filled to bursting, and the nearby Brandywine – frozen for the first time in memory – proved an irresistible draw to the numerous children. They walked, or more accurately slipped, across the ice as they played various games, resting secure in the knowledge that such ice prevented any potential drownings.

Drowning being a most fearsome death to most Hobbits – they did not care for swimming. (Save for some of the Brandybucks themselves who were forgiven their odd feelings due to living against the Old Forest and much too close to the settlements of the Big Folk.

Late into the afternoon, two evenings after the Midwinter feast, the tweens lingered at the river as their elders and younger siblings returned to the Hall. Bilbo, though barely in his tweens, argued for permission to stay and his parents agreed as long as he remained with his older cousins. The tweens – irresponsible as they could be – knew to return to the Hall before full dark. The stars began to kindle in the twilight sky when the mass of laughing tweens made their way towards a warm fireside and good supper.

Howls rent the air.

A pack of White Wolves exploded from the Old Forest and charged across the frozen Brandywine. Shrieks and screams filled the air as the tweens scattered, trying to escape from the ravenous beasts. The winter – coldest on record in the Shire – ravaged the lands to the north and the creatures roved into settled lands during their search for food. Hunger made the Wolves fearless and the group of unprotected, and unarmed, tweens made too tasty and easy a target. The tweens had only two choices – run or hide. Both would prove successful…and both would prove untenable. Wolves covered the ground at speeds no Hobbit could match and their keen sense of smell led them to the trembling youngsters trying to hide.

Most of them could only hope for a quick death.

One of the tweens – forever after called 'Lightfoot' Took – reached the Hall, screaming for aid and describing fearsome foes. The adults required a moment to comprehend his message, but their reaction upon understanding moved at lightning speed.

The Horn-Call of Buckland rang out in the night.

"Awake! Fear! Fire! Foes! Awake!"

Elders, most women, and all of the children took refuge in the cellars of the Hall while the men and a handful of the women prepared to fight off the Wolves before moving out to find the missing tweens. More adults, their own families hidden away, streamed in from surrounding villages and isolated households. Armed and watchful, the large force moved out to drive off the attacking Wolves.

More attacks would come during the latter half of winter and the Hobbits would turn their farming instruments to bloodier use over those months. They welcomed the aid brought by the Rangers of the North as well, working with them to secure the eastern and northern borders of the Shire. The White Wolves could not stand against the combined forces and large packs ceased their raids. Small incursions still occurred, only ending with the coming of the spring thaw.

No attack would prove as deadly as this first.

Sunlight crept across the ground and brought the full tragedy into stark detail. Almost a dozen tweens lay still on the ground with several more missing and never to be found. Others would be found that morning – hiding in trees, under stones, burrowed into the earth itself. Distraught parents and other family members searched out each tween, hoping almost against hope that their child would be one of the hidden ones. Too many parents returned in devastation.

Bungo and Belladonna among them.

The death of their son sobered Bungo and Belladonna. Bella became the focus of their attention, both their hopes and their fears. Bella grew up learning the tongues of the free peoples – Dwarvish an obvious exception due to the secrecy of the Dwarves. Bungo taught her to read and write in the various tongues as well, not to mention how to bargain and negotiate. Belladonna taught her to sew and to cook, but also to hunt and to hide in plain sight. They wanted to make sure their daughter would be prepared for the future as the Mistress of Bag End.

Both parents encouraged a balance in Bella's heritage – the Took's sense of adventure and the responsibility of the Baggins clan. They journeyed with her to the furthest reaches of the Shire and told her of the lands beyond the borders. Plans began to be made for Bella to visit some of the places they mentioned when she grew old enough. She showed every sign of becoming an adventuress at least the equal of her infamous mother.

Then Bungo Baggins grew ill and passed away.

Folks in Hobbiton and Bywater believed he never truly recovered from the death of his son. For all the love he held for his wife and daughter, a piece of him remained broke at the loss of Bilbo and people murmured that his final years held the shadow of tragedy. For Bella, the tragedy continued. Her mother, also bereft of son, all but shattered at the death of her unexpected death of her husband. Many wondered if Belladonna would follow her husband into the grave.

Perhaps she did, but Belladonna held on until after her daughter came of age. Rumors abounded through the Shire that certain members of the Baggins clan wanted guardianship of the young female in order to get their hands on her home. This fired Belladonna's spirit and she pulled herself together, putting her grief to one side as she began working to protect her daughter's inheritance. She sought out her own brothers' aid as well as speaking with various influential people – both Baggins and not. Her efforts bore fruit. Word began to spread that the Thain, the Master of Buckland, and Bungo's sisters would take umbrage should anyone attempt to manipulate Bella or her inheritance. The scheming individuals backed off and grew silent – though no one doubted they would continue to connive behind the scenes.

Seven years later – Bella turned thirty-three.

Belladonna passed away eight years after her beloved Bungo, a shadow of the vibrant female who once traveled as far as Mithlond in the West and Rivendell in the East. Those who made a habit of collecting useless trivia would consider her the most travelled Hobbit since their Wandering Years over thirteen hundred years previous.

Few could have ever guessed that in less than a decade, her own daughter would surpass her.

Even fewer would have guessed that within a century of her parents' deaths, Bella Baggins would be one of the most famous Hobbits who ever lived, known and renowned in the courts of Dwarf, Elf, and Man.

 _ **Hobbiton, Year 1341 by Shire Reckoning (Year 2941 of the Third Age)**_

Miss Belladonna Lilly Baggins, daughter of the proper Bungo Baggins and his infamous wife Belladonna Rose Baggins, née Took, muttered to herself as she made her way back to Bag End after a trip to the market. Not that she needed to go to market – her larder overflowed in case of unexpected family visits – a legacy of being related to the oversized Took clan, but she felt a desire for some good mushrooms and greens to go with her fish. And she refused to hide away in her home, wizard or no wizard. The earlier visit by the wandering Wizard had thrown off her entire schedule – not to mention throwing her emotional state into a tizzy. Imagine! Inviting her on an adventure as though she lingered in her tweens! Insisting that it would be very good for her – and amusing for him!

Of all the nerve!

Bella might be a daughter of the Tooks, but the folk of the Shire all exclaimed over how much she resembled her father when it came to proper behavior. She might have had her moments as a child and a tween, but she settled down, right and proper, as an adult.

It was sad that her parents passed away before they could see it.

Most folk could only find minor issues for which to take Bella to task - with the notable exception of the Sackville-Baggins portion of the family. They thought she perhaps read too much, those books and scrolls all involving the various Big Folk types outside of the Shire, and she remained single, quite alone in her smial. It seemed a shame to waste all of that room on a single Hobbit when her father designed it for a family. Still, again putting aside the opinion of the Sackville-Baggins', Bag End did belong to her; there could be no doubt about that. Uncommon as it might be for a young female to live on her own – most married before they ever left their parents' home. (One could, of course, find the occasional widow living alone, though their children – and they always had at least one child – tended to keep them company quite often.) In every other way, however, Miss Bella lived an exemplary Baggins lifestyle, so folks accepted the few oddities as being the likely outcome of losing her parents at so young an age.

For herself, Bella often felt her single state looming over her. While she possessed a large family – as most Hobbits do – she did not feel close to anyone in particular. Her Took family found her agreeable, but a little too staid for their tastes while her Baggins family despaired of her unHobbitlike education though they approved of her proper society manners. She tried to walk the fine line between them in her desire to do honor to the legacy of her parents.

Now she sat down to a solitary dinner, still uneasy over Gandalf's visit as it stirred old memories of sitting near her mother and listening to her stories of various journeys and the longing that young Bella felt to be just like her mother.

A knock at the door brought a bewildered frown to her face. She had hoped for a quiet evening after the earlier hassle with the Wizard. Still…it would not do to be rude. The unexpected visitor should not suffer for her temper over Gandalf and his unsettling ways. Bella opened the door with a smile on her lips and found that her surprises for the day were not yet at and end.

"Dwalin," announced a tall, menacing Dwarf as he bowed, "at your service."


	2. An Unexpected Party

_Author's Note: I should add that I am drawing from_ _ **both**_ _the movie and the book and my own imagination in order to craft my story and my Bella. The differences will start to grow as we get further into the story, but I will be making use of dialogue and descriptions and time/story lines from both. In regards to the dialogue from the movies, I am indebted to the movie transcripts done by fans at site. Bella has proven a bit of a challenge because I don't think I could manage to be quite this polite. Hobbits. Really._

 **An Unexpected Party**

Bella stared for a moment before giving herself a hard mental shake. _Belladonna Baggins! Manners!_ The fact that her conscience spoke in her father's voice prompted her to a quick attitude adjustment. She returned his gesture with a curtsey. "Bella Baggins at yours," she offered, a little too surprised at his appearance on her doorstep to do more than the basic. He stood quite a bit taller than her, for all that she understood Dwarves to be not much taller than Hobbits. Scars and tattoos covered quite a bit of the skin she could see. That combined with the heavy fur over his shoulders and a menacing gaze made her nervous. The idea of shutting the door in his face passed through her mind.

Then he stepped past her into the entry.

Of HER smial.

"I'm sorry," she turned, her gaze following him, "but do I know you?"

"No, lass," he shrugged as he removed his cloak and hung it on a visitor's peg. His gaze seemed to take in the entire place in one sweep. Then he moved towards the dining room. "Is it down here?"

"Is what down where?" Bella felt as though she kept missing half of the conversation.

"Supper." Dwalin dropped his pack at the ground beneath his cloak, though he kept his weapons close. He took another look around and then headed further into her home, turning his head as he walked as if examining her home. "He said there'd be supper."

Suspicion began to build within her and she hurried after him. "Excuse me, but 'he' who?"

"The Wizard."

 _The Wizard._ Bella came to an abrupt halt, the suspicion boiling over and sparking towards indignation. "The Wizard," she repeated, her voice taking on a hint of chill. He stopped, his attention refocusing on her. Something flickered in his eyes – an unease perhaps or the start of an understanding that things might not be going to plan. She lifted her eyebrows. "By the Wizard, I take it you mean Gandalf?" A slow nod gave her the answer she expected and she drew in a deep breath. "Of course it was," she muttered. Bella closed her eyes and let her breath out in a drawn out, meant to be calming manner.

Silence filled the room as she forced her temper back, determined to keep it under control. A light shuffling caught her attention and she opened her eyes to see a wary Dwarf watching her. He stilled as her gaze locked on his. "Ah…something wrong, Mistress Baggins?"

"Perhaps, but it certainly does not appear to be any fault of yours," she assured him, pleased at the new indication of more proper manners. The doubt remained clear in his expression and she rather thought he expected her to start raising a fuss. And she might have, but irritated and put out or no, she remained a Baggins. "Come along," she gestured. "You should have something to eat and then you can explain to me exactly why Gandalf directed you to my house of all places for supper."

Setting him up with food took no time at all for a Hobbit hostess. A decent meal would have been difficult, but any Hobbit could throw together a tea as quick as a wink. After all, Hobbits did tend to drop by without notice – though usually they possessed better manners and would come by during the day. Even without warning, it would occur during calling hours.

"Now, about what the Wizard told you-."

The doorbell rang again.

"Excuse me," Bella said and rushed back towards her door. Her thoughts whirled about as she tried to decide how to greet the Wizard who seemed determined to disrupt her settled life.

She pulled the door open. "So you're here at last…" Her voice trailed off as she took in her new visitor.

A second Dwarf stood there, a congenial smile curving his lips. His white beard flowed down his chest, but then flicked up at the ends. That combined with the rich fabric of his clothing gave him a courtly sort of air while the broad smile breaking over his face reminded her of her grandfather, the Old Took, when he would greet guests at his birthday parties. He spread his arms and bowed. "Balin, at your service."

"Good…ah good evening," she stammered.

"Yes, it is," he agreed even as a touch of uncertainty entered those wise eyes. "Am I late?"

 _Now maybe I can get some answers!_ "Won't you please come in?" Bella stepped back to let him enter and then she tilted her head. "Late for what, if I may ask?"

No answer appeared to be forthcoming as his gaze caught sight of Dwalin's gear hanging by itself. "Ah! I see I am one of the first of them." Bella's eyes went wide as the alarming concept of 'them' began to roll through her mind. He did not notice. "Good, good!" Then he looked beyond her shoulder and amused joy lit up his face. "Evening, brother!"

"By my beard," Dwalin huffed, though Bella thought she could see affection in that dangerous visage. "You are shorter and wider than last we met."

"Wider," Balin allowed, "But not shorter." Then he pointed at his brother. "And sharp enough for both of us." They placed hands on each other's shoulders and then smashed their foreheads together. Bella could only stare. What kind of greeting was that? She had little time to wonder as Balin turned back to her. "Mistress Baggins, might I trouble you for a mug of beer?"

"Oh!" She almost jumped as the words prompted her to remember her manners. "Of course, just a moment."

Again she prepared a plate and again she watched as a Dwarf made himself comfortable at her table. She thought she might be able to get an answer or two out of this one as he appeared less forbidding than the other, brother or no. With that thought in mind she placed a mug of beer in front of Balin as well as a second mug in front of Dwalin. "Now, if you please-."

Chimes interrupted her.

"Yavanna bless it," she muttered with a sigh of defeat.

The two brothers exchanged a glance and she turned a wary look on them, but the bell rang again before she could speak. The Hobbit gathered her patience and moved to see who now stood at her door. Between Balin's 'they' and his worry about being late for 'it' – whatever 'it' might be, her entire quest for answers seemed destined for disappointment.

When her door swung this time, she found not one, but two Dwarves waiting on her doorstep. They appeared young to her, but given how few Dwarves she had met, how could she tell?

The blond one smiled, "Fíli."

"And Kíli," came the name of the darker one.

"At your service." They finished together, in one voice like the twin Bracegirdle boys from Hardbottle.

She decided she found it charming – and amusing. "At yours," she nodded, "and your family's."

Kíli peered around her and a bright grin lit his countenance. "Dwalin and Balin beat us!" he announced to his…brother?

At least so she presumed given the limited evidence she possessed. Or rather guessed, if she were honest with herself. Dwalin and Balin rhymed and they were brothers. Why not Fíli and Kíli? She would work with that idea until someone gave her different information. "Yes, they are in the dining room."

"Let us join the throng!" Kíli walked in and began dropping packs on the floor under the cloaks. He frowned at the mud on his boots and started to scrape one on a nearby chest.

"Oh, no you don't!" Dwarves and their strange ways might be a new peculiarity to her, but Bella Baggins knew quite well how to handle a tween, and if this young Dwarf intended to act like one, then like a tween he would be treated. She moved up beside him and caught his earlobe between two fingers.

A light yank and twist drew a yelp from him. "Ouch!"

" _That,_ " she informed him as she pulled him back towards the door, "is my mother's glory box. You may clean the mud off of your boots outside, if you please, and _not_ on my family heirlooms." Fíli laughed until she pinned him with an arch look. "That goes for you as well." She let go of the younger Dwarf's ear. "You may join your companions in the dining room when you are finished."

The two Dwarfs began muttering to each other as she turned back into the smial.

"Mahal!" Kíli hissed. "She sounds like Mother!"

"You shouldn't have started cleaning your boots _inside_ her home," Fíli pointed out.

Bella began nodding to herself at his words only to wince at Kíli's next comment. "Who knew she would take on that way?"

"What would Mother have done?" A silence greeted Fíli's question and she had to concentrate to hear the quiet laugh before the older of the two spoke again. "That's what I thought."

The two young Dwarves entered her foyer once more, still cheery but a bit more circumspect, and she led them back to the others. Balin and Dwalin rose to greet the newcomers, each of them sharing that forehead greeting. The entire idea gave Bella a headache. The obvious affection between the four reassured her somewhat at to the people currently overtaking her home – even if some of their behavior grew more curious. (Dwalin grew yet more watchful, his eyes moving from one window to the next as if expecting to see enemies approaching through the garden.)

Again came the bell.

"Exactly how many _are_ we expecting?" she demanded from the Dwarves at her table. They gave her looks of varying levels of concern and reluctance. Her lips pursed as her eyes narrowed, but she did not get a chance to speak before the bell rang long and hard. "Honestly!" she fussed as she stamped to the door yet another time. "One would think a Hobbit-lad were trying to pull the handle off!"

Bella yanked the door open.

Almost a double handful of Dwarves fell through the doorway. She stared down at them for a long second, listening as they grumbled and yelled at each other to "Get off!" Her eyes darted from one to the other to take count. Eight Dwarves – Eight! – pushed and shoved in a rather disorganized manner. How any of them thought to manage in such chaos escaped her. "Really," she sighed, "if this is someone's idea of a joke…."

Her voice trailed off when another figure appeared behind them. An old man – by appearance anyway – all clad in gray leaned on a long wooden staff. Bright blue eyes glinted beneath bushy eyebrows though his face remained somewhat darkened in the shade provided by the brim of his hat.

"Gandalf."

The Wizard beamed at her. "Mistress Baggins," he began.

"No. Just…stop." Bella held up one hand to prevent him from continuing. "I have…company." She fixed him with her best gimlet glare, the one she reserved for visits by Lobelia Sackville-Baggins and her sticky fingers. "I shall see to my…guests, and then you and I shall have _words_."

"Of course, of course." His affable agreement did nothing to soothe her concern, but the Dwarves exploded into motion as the newcomers discovered their compatriots – and the food.

The entire situation made her dizzy. Thirteen Dwarves! How, in Yavanna's name, did she end up in the position of having thirteen Dwarves show up on her doorstep? What had Gandalf told them? Her temper did not improve as she heard Gandalf muttering names as if counting to make sure everyone was present.

"Fíli, Kíli, Óin, Glóin, Dwalin, Balin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Dori, Nori, Ori."

She caught the names in an absent-minded fashion, but her attention kept getting diverted by trying to prevent the potential destruction of her property. Then Gandalf said the one thing guaranteed to catch her notice – and bring her to a complete standstill.

"We appear to be one Dwarf short."

 _What?!_

"He is late, is all," Dwalin scoffed, his voice sounding as wary of the Wizard as she felt. "He travelled north, to a meeting with our kin. He will come."

 _More Dwarves? More?_

They already invaded every nook and cranny of her smial!

Bella caught herself and amended the thought – they invaded every nook and cranny of the public portions of her smial. With the exception of the pantry, they were being quite good about staying out of her private rooms. Nevertheless, she considered it an invasion! They ate her food, tracked mud all over her clean floor – and the idea of walking into the bathroom quite terrified her. She held onto her proper hostess manners by her teeth and nails until she could pull Gandalf into the hallway, lecturing him in as soft a voice as her temper could manage. Then one of the younger Dwarves – and really she must get their names – asked her about his dish. Before she could so much as give him a reply, let alone handle the issue herself, it was taken out of her hands.

Her mother's best Westfarthing crockery flew through the air, juggled in time to some ridiculous little song they seemed to make up on the spot.

" _Blunt the knives, bend the forks!_

 _Smash the bottles and burn the corks!_

 _Chip the glasses and crack the plates!_

 _That's what Mistress Baggins hates!"_

"What are you doing?" Bella demanded, her voice shrill with shock. Fury began to glitter in her eyes, but the song came to an end before she could let it loose. She forced her way into the room, pushing herself between the Dwarves.

Her dishes sat, clean and gathered, on the table in front of Gandalf.

"For goodness' sake," she huffed, not sure how to reprimand them at this point. True, they did not treat her dishes with the care they should…and yet they cleaned up after themselves in a cheerful, accepting manner.

If only some of her family showed such consideration.

She bit that thought off as well. "Now that you have eaten, amused yourselves….and cleaned up," she acknowledged, "might I be so bold as to ask why you are here?"

A heavy knock interrupted before anyone could answer.

"He's here," Gandalf announced in a heavy, solemn voice.

 _Now what?_ Bella thought, nervous anticipation crawling up her spine as her merry guests fell silent and sober expressions filled their visages. _He who?_

The Wizard rose and made his way to the door, opening it for the new arrival. Bella watched as a thirteenth Dwarf stepped across her threshold and greeted Gandalf. "Gandalf. I thought you said this place would be easy to find. I lost my way – twice. Wouldn't have found it at all had it not been for that mark on the door."

"Mark?" Indignation welled up in Bella's voice. "There's no mark on that door! It was painted a week ago!"

"There is a mark," Gandalf remarked in a reproving tone. "I put it there myself. Belladonna Baggins-."

"Bella," the Hobbit managed, though most of her attention still circled the idea that this batty Wizard had apparently been marking her door for some as yet unknown reason.

"Ahem," he cleared his throat. "Yes, Bella Baggins, allow me to introduce the leader of our company, Thorin Oakenshield."

Shadowed blue eyes scanned the room before meeting her gaze. "So this is the Hobbit." Now a hint of censure began to overtake the shadows as Thorin looked her up and down. A flush rose in her cheeks and though the Baggins in her forced her to bite back the retort on her lips, her Took side began to bubble up in a bid to give him a piece of her mind. Really, coming into her house and then being so… "She looks more like a grocer than a burglar."

"I _beg_ your pardon!"

"She's a burglar if I say she's a burglar," Gandalf interrupted her rejoinder. "You asked me to find the fourteenth member of this company," the Wizard continued, "and I have chosen Ms. Baggins." Bella blinked at him in shock, opening her mouth to deny any such idea when the dratted Wizard kept talking. "Hobbits walk quieter than any of the free folk and can pass unseen by most if they choose, which gives us a distinct advantage."

"What are you going on about?" she demanded, hands coming to rest on her hips. She did not like the sound of this, not one little bit.

"She's a female," one of the Dwarves behind her started and she spun around.

"Don't you start!" she told them, shaking her finger at the entire group as she could not decide who might have spoken. "That didn't seem to bother you one bit when you invaded my home without a single thought to my reputation and then proceeded to clear out my pantry. So I don't want to hear a word – not **one** word – out of you about me being female." All of them took a step back from her and she gave a firm nod before refocusing on the Wizard and the new Dwarf. "Now just _what_ is going on?"

"Perhaps we could sit down and explain," Gandalf offered, a twinkle in his eyes.

Bella listened, her mind growing blank with disbelief at the story and the quest they put before her. Dragons and mountains, gold and gems…her a burglar! Somewhere, probably in Yavanna's garden, her father shook his head as her mother rolled on the grass in a fit of laughter.


	3. A Shaky Start

_Author's Note: There are some nice benefits to having the book, film, and previous one-shots to draw from - faster chapters. I am aiming for 2500-3000 words per chapter, and I think it should come out between 30-35 chapters. I hope you enjoy my Bella. I've enjoyed each comment and I'm sorry I haven't had a chance to reply. While I know the pairing will be Thorin/Bella, I hope to build up nice friendships with the others, so you may expect the company or its individual members to shine throughout. That is my determined plan._

 **A Shaky Start**

Yavanna's garden must be ringing with laughter right about now.

The proper Bella Baggins, daughter of Bungo, not only allowed a company of Dwarves, male Dwarves at that, to remain in her home overnight, but she rode off with them the next morning? The Green Lady alone knew what her father thought, but Bella would have laid odds that her mother thought the whole thing a grand joke. Bella's reputation would be in tatters by the time she returned home...

 _If_ she returned home.

Even if their adventure proved successful – and with a dragon waiting at the end, that seemed suspect – she would face rejection from half of her family, the Baggins, as well as censure from Hobbiton at large. The Tooks would probably find it a great story, but even they might be shocked at her choice of companions. Though she rather doubted they would shun her as would everyone else. To be fair, the Baggins side of the family would probably avoid her even if she were male and pulling this kind of stunt, but it still rankled. After being careful for so long to balance both sides of her nature, she threw all of that away in one impulsive moment. And for what? A dangerous journey with a pack of Dwarves who barely tolerated her? She had yet to determine why they agreed to go along with Gandalf's choice of their fourteenth member, but that was beside the point at the moment. Why had she thrown out all of her good sense to go wandering across the wilderness with a surly pack of Dwarves?

 _The song._

If she closed her eyes, Bella could still hear the song haunting the back of her mind. The longing underscored in the lines of the song tugged at her heart. Desire burned through it, a desire for home. The love of gold and whatnot lived in its stanzas as well, but she could hear the cry for home buried in the tune. The song convinced her as no words would have managed.

Her parents would be proud of her…no matter what the rest of the Shire thought.

The first night of her 'adventure' gave her reason to wonder about her sanity. Between snoring Dwarves, uncomfortable ground, and screams in the night, she felt quite certain she would never manage any sleep. The screams prompted Fíli and Kíli to try and scare her with their tales of throat-cutting Orcs wandering the lowlands. Each of the young brothers gave a lurid description in order to shake her composure, and Bella would admit to being terrified for a breath of time.

Their attempts would have been more effective if they had not started laughing.

"You think that's funny?" Thorin demanded, coming to his feet. "You think a night raids by Orcs is a joke?"

Both of them looked abashed.

"We didn't meaning anything by it," Kíli began.

"No, you didn't," his uncle bit out. "You know nothing of the world." The Dwarf king strode to the edge of the cliff and looked out over the valley.

Balin joined Bella and the boys. "Don't mind him," he told them. "Thorin has more cause than most for his hatred of Orcs. After the dragon took Erebor, King Thror decided to try and reclaim Moria." Sorrow filled his face. "But our enemy got there first." The three of them… Four, Bella corrected in her mind, as she saw Ori inching closer. The four of them listened as Balin described the Battle of Azanulbizar. The idea of such vast numbers of Dwarves and Orcs left Bella breathless. The older Dwarf settled into his story. "Moria had been taken by legions of Orcs lead by the most vile of their race: Azog, the Defiler. The giant Orc swore to wipe out the entire line of Durin…and he began by beheading the King."

Gasps filled the night. Bella glanced towards Thorin and noted his bowed head, wincing as she realized he could hear each word in the clear of the evening. Was he remembering the sights and sounds of battle? Was he reliving his grandfather's death? The snoring which had filled the small area earlier had fallen silent, and she wondered how many of them now listened in the silence to the words of Balin's tale.

"Thrain, Thorin's father, was driven mad with grief," he continued. "He went missing, taken prisoner or killed; we never did find out. We were leaderless. Death and defeat were upon us." Dark memories filled his eyes and he fell silent for a moment, almost seeming to gaze inward. Or perhaps over a battlefield long since left behind. He blinked and a different light kindled in his face. "And that is when I saw him: a young Dwarf prince facing down the Pale Orc. He stood alone against this foe, wielding nothing but an oaken branch as a shield. Thorin used the branch to avoid a blow from Azog's mace and then picked up a sword from the ground and cut off the Orc's arm. As other Orcs rushed their leader through the gate of Moria, the prince called us to arms and led us forward. Our forces rallied and drove the Orcs back. We defeated the enemy, but we held no feast, no song, for our dead were beyond the count of grief." Tears glistened in his eyes before being blinked back. "We few had survived."

Balin looked away from his listeners to focus on Thorin where the Dwarf yet stood at the cliff's edge. "And I thought to myself then, there is one who I could follow," he informed everyone, though Bella thought his words were directed towards Thorin himself. "There is one I could call King."

Thorin turned back towards the Company, his eyes meeting Balin's in a brief acknowledgment before he walked back to the fire. Bella felt no surprise to discover all of her companions awake and standing as their king made his way past them. "But the pale Orc?" she murmured. "What happened to him?"

"He slunk back into the hole whence he came." Thorin's voice rumbled over the group. "That filth died of his wounds long ago."

Silence fell, broken only by the shifting of the ponies and the breathing of the Company.

Bella watched as Gandalf and Balin exchanged sober glances. The elder Dwarf seemed concerned for Thorin's state of mind, but what the Wizard might be thinking, she could not begin to hazard a guess. Another ember of fear flickered in her heart.

The next day never dawned. Oh, Bella knew the sun must be shining above all the clouds, but who could tell with the rain pouring down upon them? The skies themselves seemed to be reminding her of the warm and comfortable home she left behind in Hobbiton. She felt cold and miserable and wet and quite over the entire idea of adventuring. And yet…she could not turn back. Both sides of her nature forbid it. The Took side strained forward, looking to see the sights she had heard of from her parents, while her Baggins side reminded her of the contract she had signed.

No Baggins would ever break their promise.

Bella's sigh sounded loud to her, but no one else appeared to hear it over the weather. Her word, her promise had been given, and she would hold to it. Even if she had to be wet, cold, and miserable.

"Here, Mr. Gandalf," Dori cried out. "Can't you do something about this deluge?"

The Dwarves around her perked up a bit at that as their focus centered on the Wizard riding at the front of their entourage. She guessed they too felt miserable in this mess. Gandalf gave a soft snort. "It is raining, Master Dwarf." Sarcasm dusted the Wizard's reply. He sounded like a gaffer talking to a child who wanted to know why the sky was blue. "And it will continue to rain until the rain is done. If you wish to change the weather of the world, you should find yourself another Wizard."

That caught her attention. "Are there any?"

Gandalf glanced at her, more patience in his expression than she would have guessed from his earlier tone. "What?"

"Other Wizards?" she clarified

"There are five of us," he answered. "The greatest of our order is Saruman, the White. Then there are the two Blue Wizards… You know, I've quite forgotten their names."

Bella blinked, a little startled at that piece of information. How does one forget two names out of five? Granted, she could not remember all the names of her family members, but it seemed much less surprising when they came number in multiples rather than five. Then she redirected her attention back to Gandalf. "And who is the fifth?"

"Well, that would be Radagast," he replied, his tone growing warmer. "Radagast, the Brown."

"Is he a great Wizard? Or is he more like you?" Yes, she knew that dig might not be proper, perhaps even a bit rude, but her Took side still smarted at the 'amusing for me' comment back at Bag End when this whole thing began.

"I think he is a very great Wizard, in his own way." He did look a bit offended – Bella bit back an automatic apology – but at least he was answering. "He's a gentle soul who prefers the company of animals to others. He keeps watch over the forest lands to the East." Shadowed eyes narrowed. "And good thing too. Evil always looks to find a foothold in this world."

With that cheery note, the Wizard fell silent. Bella sighed once more. It had been a nice distraction…while it lasted.

Myrtle followed the other ponies as the sky began to clear and the Dwarves began to look for shelter. They chose a broken down old farmhouse. Bella dismounted and began preparing for the evening along with everyone else. She would be glad of the fire and a chance to dry out. The Wizard did not seem to approve of their choice and she could see him having a discussion or argument with Thorin. "Unstoppable force," she muttered, "meet immovable object."

Nori snickered and she glanced over. He cocked an eyebrow at the arguing duo and winked.

Gandalf stalked past her a few moments later, grumbling under his breath as he walked. "Is everything alright?" Bella tried to catch his attention. "Gandalf, where are you going?"

"To seek the company of the only one around here who's got any sense!"

"Who's that?" she demanded, a bite in her voice. She did not appreciate the implication in that comment. After all, he happened to be the one who all but dragged her into this particular little adventure. To be implying that she lacked sense was taking things a bit far in her mind.

"Myself, Mistress Baggins!" The Wizard huffed as he disappeared into the darkening shadows. "I've had enough of Dwarves for one day!"

Bella sat near the fire as the evening closed in, watching and hoping for Gandalf's return. The ruined farmhouse made her wary and uncomfortable – and Gandalf's absence only made it worse. Her eyes landed on Glóin as he sat by the fire looking at something in his hand. Curiosity flickered to life and she walked over to sit beside him. "May I join you?" she asked in a soft voice, not wanting to interrupt anything.

"Oh, of course, lass." He gave himself a shake and offered her a smile. "I'll wager you're happy to be off the trail for a few hours."

"I am," she agreed, a small chuckle escaping her. "Even more – I'm happy to be dry at last."

He cast a careful gaze at the sky. "Aye, lass, you'll find most of us are feeling the same."

"I….saw you looking at something," she began, unsure of how he would receive her nosiness. "I shan't say another word if it was something private…?" She let her voice trail away on a questioning not.

Glóin chuckled. "Not private," he shook his head, "but I've about worn out my welcome with it." He reached out, showing her two small etchings done on brushed silver. "My wife and my son, Gimli."

Bella looked at the pictures, a smile curving her lips as she noted the pride in Glóin's voice. "If this does him any justice, he looks a good deal like you," she told him and her smile deepened as he puffed up, pleased with her response.

"Aye, that he does," he nodded. "My wife's often complaining about being outnumbered and overwhelmed by all the red hair, but both of us couldn't be happier with lad. He's got a good eye for gemstones and a good hand at the forge." He continued on, speaking and reminiscing about his family and their lives – and then he moved on to their hopes for Erebor.

She listened, letting him ramble on as she took in every word. The quest, and the mountain at the end of it, became more real to her through him. Hobbits might have little in common with Dwarves, save their shorter stature, but this love of family and the hope for a better future she could understand all too well. She did not have to ask why he came on this quest. It was not for adventure or because of his king, not solely anyway. No, Glóin came for his family – he came so Gimli would have a chance at being more than just a miner or a blacksmith.

The clearing grew quiet as Glóin's voice faded. He seemed intent on the pictures once more, so Bella rose and made her way towards the fire. Bofur and Bombur dished up some stew as she drew close. "He's been gone a long time," she noted.

"Who?" Bofur asked, glancing at her before filling another bowl.

"Gandalf."

"He's a Wizard," the merry Dwarf replied, humor lacing his tone. "He does as he chooses." Now he turned towards Bella and handed her the two bowls. "Do us a favor? Take these to the lads?"

She nodded and began to pick her way towards the ponies where she would find Fíli and Kíli. Her gaze moved towards the shadows one more time as she searched in vain for a tall figure in gray. "I just hope he chooses to come back," she murmured as the firelight dimmed behind her. No matter her own difficulties with the Wizard, she could not see them completing this journey without him. One Hobbit and thirteen Dwarves did not seem much of a fight for a furnace with wings as Bofur called the dragon. She rather thought a Wizard would be of prime importance in such a showdown.

A few hours later that thought played back in the dark recesses of her mind.

But then – a Wizard would have been nice to have when faced with three large, hungry trolls determined to have Hobbit and Dwarf on their dinner menu. She fussed and debated with them over ways to cook Dwarves and whether or not these Dwarves might be infested until she felt quite blue in the face from lack of air. All of hers seemed to be busy keeping the trolls occupied until someone could come up with a better plan.

"The dawn will take you all!"

Bella almost fell over in a mix of relief and shock when Gandalf reappeared with the sun. Watching the trolls turn to stone improved her outlook on the whole affair, but she still intended to have a conversation with those two rapscallions and their brilliant ideas. She would have to keep tonight fixed in her mind for the next time they made a suggestion about how a burglar should act.

Thorin stood as soon they untied him and walked over to her. "Next time," he began.

"Next time?" She raised her eyebrows and put her shoulders back, about to give him a piece of her mind on his nephews and their grand ideas. Then she spotted the two flinching back. Her ire deflated as it occurred to her how difficult it must be to live up to the hero they made of their uncle.

"What?" Thorin glanced between her and his nephews. An odd suspicion shone in them when he turned back to her.

"Never mind," she shook her head. "How about we avoid the trolls altogether next time?"

"Or come for more experienced aid instead of taking them on yourself," he advised.

"I didn't actually plan to…" Her voice trailed off and she pursed her lips, thinking for a moment. ""You know, I'm not sure there's any way for me to say anything without sounding more foolish than I already appear over this whole situation, so I believe I shall not bother. Get experienced help, do not take on trolls. That should not be a problem from now on." She would hold her tongue until she could blister the boys' ears, but that would wait for a more private moment.

A flicker of something that might have been a smile crossed his face, but it disappeared before she could put a name to it. "Good," he nodded. Then he paused. "Still, your delaying tactic worked. And the world will not miss three trolls."

"No, I cannot imagine how it would," she agreed.

He walked over towards Gandalf, so she turned towards the others, doing a quick check to make sure everyone had been freed. Nori sauntered over, a grin of mischief curving his lips. "Not bad," he said as he reached her.

"Sorry?"

"How you delayed the trolls," he explained. "Not bad, but you need some practice on creating stories with little notice. Fortunately, trolls are really kind of thick."

"I don't care for telling lies," Bella told him.

He shook his head. "Are you a burglar or not?"

"Not."


	4. Radagast the Brown

**Radagast the Brown**

"Right, right," Nori laughed. "Not a burglar."

Her further protests fell on deaf ears as the Dwarf wandered off to poke his nose into whatever the leaders of their little band were doing. She took one look at the hole they chose to explore and turned away. Time would be better spent on going through her pack to make sure everything was in place for the journey to continue. Several of the others seemed to feel the same way and they bustled around in preparation. Ori and Bifur left to retrieve the ponies while Bombur and Dori checked on their food supplies. Óin tried to check on everyone to make sure no one hid any injuries after the fight with the trolls while Balin watched over the group. Fíli and Kíli kept an eye on the woods, falling into guard duty during the brief respite.

"Bella!"

"Hmm?" She turned around at Gandalf's call.

"Here," he held out something to her. "This is about your size."

She blinked in shock as she realized he held a small sword. Her head began to shake even as she raised her hands to accept it. "I can't take this," she tried to insist.

"The blade is of Elvish make," he informed her, ignoring her protest. "It will glow blue when Orcs or Goblins are nearby."

"I've never used a sword in my life." Her voice seemed to lower by itself. One thing Bella had already learned during this journey – those who could not protect themselves would be the first to fall. Her small ability to hunt would keep her fed, but it would not keep her safe.

"And I hope you never have to." She looked up into an understanding gaze. Honesty gleamed in the Wizard's eyes. He seemed to no more like seeing her armed than she felt at being so outfitted, but a deeper knowledge lined his face. "But if you do, remember this: true courage is about knowing not when to take a life, but when to spare one."

Her gaze fell back to the weapon.

"Something's coming!"

Thorin's shout drew Gandalf's attention, but Bella still stared at the sword in her hand. "Gandalf-."

"Stay together!" The Wizard moved past her, no longer paying any mind to the Hobbit. "Hurry now! Arm yourselves!"

Bella pulled the sword out of its sheath in a slow draw and gazed at it for a long quiet moment. Her earlier fear returned – how much would she change before this adventure came to an end? How much of herself would she lose? Blinking back her concern, she rushed after the others.

Twigs snapped as something crashed through the trees in front of them. Bella took a breath and a second, holding her sword in front of her, though what she thought she might do with it escaped her. A group of the largest rabbits she had ever seen burst into the clearing pulling a sled of some sort behind them. Her attention would have been fixated on rabbits almost half her size, except for one thing. Strange as those large rabbits might be, they had nothing of the figure who rode in the sled they pulled.

She stared at the strange figure.

It was rude, no question about it, but Bella had to admit she was staring at the new arrival.

Of course, it would have been hard not to stare. Radagast the Brown, Gandalf's fellow Wizard, burst into their midst hollering about murder and foes. His hat looked stranger than Bofur's, while his eyebrows went in two different directions. Then again, he did have… Well, to be frank, dried bird droppings fell in a cascade down one side of his head.

Bella shuddered.

Untidy was one thing – this fellow…

"Is he mad?" she whispered to Bofur, leaning towards the Dwarf. Thus far he proved to be friendly and engaging company while so many of the others continued to look at her with suspicious and annoyed glances.

"I'd think so," Bofur nodded, glancing around as Bifur poked him. Bella watched the more unstable Dwarf make a few signs and waited for Bofur to look back towards her. She lifted a brow and he shrugged. "My cousin thinks any Wizard is mad and that this one just takes it a step…or several steps further."

"I can hardly argue," Bella shook her head, eyes once more fastening themselves on the strange new Wizard.

"Radagast," Gandalf huffed out in an amused tone. "What are you wearing around your neck?"

"Hmm?" Radagast ran his fingertips along his throat. "Oh, that's a bit of ribbon one of my birds found. She wants to take it back to her other nest and I couldn't find anywhere else to put it, so I tied it around my neck in a bow. Should be easy enough to pull loose when we get home."

The two Wizards walked away from the group, still close but far enough away to speak without being overhead. More than one Dwarf stared at them, but whether from suspicion or just curiosity, she could not quite tell. Bella felt more than saw someone move up beside her. She glanced sideways, recognizing the blond hair and beard of the eldest of Thorin's nephews.

"A strange fellow," Fíli muttered.

"Agreed," Kíli replied, coming up on her other side.

Bella glanced from one to the other as the corners of her mouth quirked up into a tiny smile. "If this has to do with any more trolls, you boys can deal with them yourselves this time," she informed them in a frank, quiet voice. "I believe I've met my quota."

Kíli took a breath. "Are you going to tell Uncle?"

"I don't see any reason to go telling tales," she told him. "Your uncle doesn't like me anyway, so one more reason isn't going to hurt anything."

"Uncle Thorin just-" Fíli started but Bella interrupted him.

"He's got a lot on his mind," she nodded, "and too much pressure between leading his people and living up to expectations both past and present." Her nose wrinkled. "I disagree with how he's handling it, Yavanna only knows, but that's neither here nor there." Her eyebrows rose. "I do reserve the right to discuss the situation with you at length later, when I've had sufficient time to put my lecture in order."

The boys – for boys they certainly seemed – winced and then bowed before moving away. She caught Thorin watching them with curious, assessing eyes. Bella sighed and turned back towards Bofur.

A howl split the air.

Her heart clutched. "Was…was that a wolf?" Bella could hear herself stuttering as old fears buried in the darkest pits of her memory surged forward. The girl-child within her shrank back at the thought of the creatures who had torn her beloved brother away from his family. Her deepest nightmares echoed in that sound. "Are there…are there wolves out there?"

Thorin, Dwalin, and Balin all looked at her, their expressions telling her they heard more than she wanted them too, but Bofur shook his head before anyone else could speak. "Wolves?" he repeated, fear lacing his words. "No, that is not a wolf."

Chaos erupted as a large wolf-like creature bounded down into their midst and knocked Dori to the ground. Thorin swung his new sword, killing it. Another of the creatures leapt at him, but Kíli shot it with an arrow and it fell to the ground. It seemed to shake off any pain and rose to its feet. Dwalin struck out. This time it remained on the ground, as dead as its pack member.

"Warg scouts!" Thorin growled. "Which means an Orc pack is not far behind."

"An Orc pack?" Bella repeated, the teasing words from their first night on the road taking on a new and more ominous meaning.

Gandalf stormed up. "Who did you tell about your quest?" he demanded. "Beyond your kin?"

"No one," Thorin replied.

"Who did you tell?!"

"No one, I swear!" the Dwarf king insisted. "What in Durin's name is going on?"

The Wizard fumed as his eyes began scanning the area. "You are being hunted."

"We have to get out of here!" Dwalin interrupted, his axes at the ready.

"We can't!" Ori and Bifur appeared on the hill above. The youngest of them all looked frantic. "We have no ponies! They bolted!"

A hand seemed to clamp around Bella's throat, cutting off her air and any sound she might have made. Once more she felt the bite of a cold wind and heard the howls as beasts tore across her family's home and into their lives. A hand touched her shoulder, giving her a jolt as it yanked her out of the past. Wide, fearful eye flew up to meet Bofur's concerned look. He opened his mouth, but another howl cut him off.

Radagast drew himself up, a crafty expression crossing his face. "I'll draw them off," he announced as all attention turned his way. Bella would swear she saw the rabbits flick their ears in his direction and sigh. Regardless of the truth behind that observation, she did see them begin to wake up and move into place.

"These are Gundabad Wargs," Gandalf reminded him. The taller Wizard looked both worried and grumpy, as if the Wargs existed just to confound his schedule. "They will outrun you."

" _These_ are Rhosgobel Rabbits," the mad Wizard scoffed. "I'd like to see them try."

Bella gaped at him. What the Dwarves thought, she could not tell, but for herself, she now knew beyond all doubt that this fellow was a few – or more - peppers short of a bushel. And yet…Gandalf took him at his word. Thorin shook his head, but gestured to the Company and they gathered themselves for a race. Radagast got his rabbits in order and took up the reins. She watched as the two Wizards traded nods and then the rabbits, sled, and Wizard vanished into the trees. Gandalf strode over to a rock at the edge of the trees and waited. A moment passed and then they heard the howls sound out, turning away from them and following the sound of crashing greenery.

"Come on!" Gandalf ordered and he began to run.

However long she lived, Bella knew she would never forget the race that followed. They ran and ran and ran. The Orcs crisscrossed all over the landscape as they tried to trap their prey. That meant Radagast double back over his own tracks and led the pack of Wargs right across the Company's path. How it took those things so long to catch their scent remained a mystery, but at last one did.

Though the Orc got no chance to call for his fellows, the Warg's dying screeches drew the attention of its pack. They turned, ignoring Radagast, and chased the Company, encircling them near a collection of large rocks. Gandalf disappeared. Bella listened to the Dwarves as they prepared to fight to the end, but she needed every bit of energy to remain in control of herself as she confronted this nightmare brought to life.

"This way, you fools!"

Her head snapped around at the shout in time to watch Gandalf duck down behind a large rock. She ran towards it as Thorin reached it and glanced down. The Dwarf king spun and gestured to the entire Company. "Come on, move!" He waved them over. "Quickly, all of you!"

Bofur seemed to disappear just in front of her and then she leapt to the top and saw the cave. She slid down the slope, tumbling to the cave floor and rolling to avoid being crushed by those who followed. As she scrambled to her feet she could still hear Thorin shouting to the rest of their group – "Go! Go! Go!" – and Dwarves came barreling down into the hidden space. Her eyes darted about, counting in silence as Gandalf did the same aloud.

 _Wait…ten?_ She scanned the area once more. _Thorin is above. There's_ _Ori, Fíli….where was Kíli?_

"Kíli!" Thorin's voice echoed down to them. "Run!"

The young Dwarf came sliding in and his brother pulled him out of the way as their uncle followed. Thirteen Dwarves, one Hobbit, and one Wizard waited. Bella expected to see one of their pursuers to appear at any moment.

A horn sounded…and the Company held its collective breath.

They could hear the sound of hoof beats and conflict, but they could see nothing. Bella held her breath, wondering when the first Orc or Warg might show itself over the top of the rock. The waiting stretched out and they all remained watchful, still, weapons drawn. Long tense moments passed as they held ready, seeking any sign for what passed overhead.

 _Yavanna bless us!_

An Orc fell over the rock, rolling to a stop at their feet. He remained still and she spotted the arrow in its neck. Thorin crouched down and pulled out the shaft to examine it. Distaste crossed his face as he threw it down. "Elves."

Dwalin turned away and began to examine the cave. "There's a path back here!" he called out. "I cannot see where it leads. Do we follow it or no?"

"Follow it, of course!" Bofur huffed and Dwarves began to stream towards him.

Gandalf's lips twitched as if he held back a secret…or a smile. "I think that would be wise."

Bella's eyes narrowed at the soft words. Something in his tone made her wonder what he might be plotting. For that voice held a definite devious note. She turned to follow the Dwarves and her gaze crossed with Thorin's. The Dwarf king also viewed the Wizard with misgiving. Hobbit and Dwarf shared a moment of accord before Thorin tilted his head for her to continue down the pathway.

The path wound between two tall cliffs. Some of the Dwarves, particularly the larger or more muscular ones, found the passage difficult as it remained quite narrow. It took some time, but a bright light began to grow in front of them.

"It's opening up!" Dwalin's voice carried over the entire Company.

Bella made her way out of the narrow path and onto the ledge behind the others. A valley spread out before her eyes, its vivid colors as feast for her eyes. Her gaze focused on the city nestled in the trees. The buildings seemed to weave in and out of the forest itself, much as if the place had grown with the trees rather than being built. Peace permeated the place, a promise of rest and healing implicit in the very feel of the air. She wanted to sigh over the beauty as she soaked it all in.

Her companions did not share her enthusiasm.

Most of the Dwarves frowned as they took in the vista and wariness began to grow in many of their faces.

"The valley of Imladris," Gandalf noted as he too looked over the place. "In the common tongue it is known by a different name."

"Rivendell," Bella smiled. This valley stood prominent in many of the stories she remembered from her mother's tales. Belladonna spoke of the people here with a great deal of warmth and affection. This was the one place, beyond all others, that her parents planned to take her before everything fell apart with Bungo's death.

Gandalf nodded. "Here lies the last Homely House east of the sea."

"This was your plan all along," Thorin accused him. "To seek refuge with our enemy."

"You have no enemies here, Thorin Oakenshield," the Wizard snapped. "The only ill-will here is that which you bring yourself."

The Dwarf king scowled. "You think the Elves will give our quest their blessing?" He shook his head. "They will try to stop us."

"Of course they will," Gandalf agreed, "but we have questions that need to be answered. Now, this will require tact, respect, and no small degree of charm." He paused and glanced around. "Which is why you will leave the talking to me." With that, he began to walk down towards a bridge they would need to cross to reach the city itself.

Looks of varying degrees of doubt and concern flew between one Dwarf and another before they began to follow him, but Bella looked between Thorin and the Wizard and suppressed a wince as the quiet voice in the back of her mind popped up with a dreadful certainty.

 _I wonder how much of a disaster_ _ **this**_ _is going to be._


	5. A Tale of Tales

_Author's Note: Rivendell was supposed to be one chapter - and then Balin's legend kind of took over. So now Rivendell will be two chapters. I hope you are enjoying my take on Bella._

 **A Tale of Tales**

Peace….

Rivendell…

Peace made manifest.

After the disastrous luncheon – and Bella could not decide which she felt more, embarrassed for being part of the Dwarven half of the party or vindicated for being right about the coming of disaster – she found an empty area in one of the gardens and sat on the grass, delighted at the explosion of colors and scents which surrounded her. Secure in the knowledge of her safety, she lay back, letting herself drowse in the warmth of the sun.

"You seem at home here, Mistress Baggins."

The unexpected voice caused her eyes to fly open and she sat up. A figure sat on the edge of a nearby fountain, pulling out a knife and his whetstone. "It is a very peaceful place, Master Dwalin," she replied, tilting her head at him as he used the stone to hone the edge of his dagger. "I believe it would prove difficult to be uncomfortable." Her words repeated in her mind and she repressed a wince. She had to cause to feel guilty about finding refuge in this place even if her fellow Company members grumbled about everything.

Dwalin shrugged, eyes narrow as they scanned the area. "I prefer good solid stone," he scowled. "Too much greenery around here – how could you see the enemy coming?"

"Well," Bella frowned, "I don't think they let them get that close."

"Every place has a weakness."

And really, what could she say to that?

"Forgive me, Master Dwalin," she began again, switching topics, "but…this doesn't look like your…sort of place."

"It's not."

Bella frowned. It was like pulling teeth. "Then-?" She trailed off, not sure how to put the question into words without sounding rude or condescending.

"Thorin's orders," he huffed, his expression that of someone put out by the ridiculous expectations of their leaders. She raised an eyebrow and he gave another impatient shrug. "None of the Company – especially you and the youngsters are to be left alone."

"I beg your pardon?" she demanded, her own voice sounding nettled. "I am a full grown Hobbit, perfectly capable of making my own decisions. I am hardly a youngling lacking in sense!"

"You're traveling with thirteen Dwarves across the wild to find a treasure guarded by a dragon," he pointed out. Her mouth opened and closed a couple of times before she crossed her arms over her chest. Dwalin nodded. "Exactly."

"An old chestnut about rocks and houses made of glass comes to mind," she muttered, but he just shrugged again. An irritable sigh escaped her, though she pushed beyond it. She decided it might be a good time to get a little more information since he seemed to be in a talkative mood – or so she surmised. He tended to leave conversation to the others, but this time he had made the first overture. With any luck she could take advantage of the opportunity. "A question, Master Dwalin, if I may?"

"Might as well drop the 'Master' bit," he told her. "We've still got a long road." Then he fixed a steady gaze on her. "What question?"

"Why fourteen?" she asked, ignoring the first part of his words. She would drop the formality when she felt comfortable without it. Until then it gave her a bit of distance from their actions and their attitudes. The fact that her formality often prompted their own did not hurt. He raised a brow at her question, so she elaborated. "Why did you need fourteen on the journey?"

Dwalin paused and scratched his beard. "Guess you've got a reason to ask," he acknowledged. He put the dagger and stone to one side and then leaned forward, resting his forearms on his thighs. "Balin would be better at telling the old tales, so would Ori, but the basic reason is simple. An important quest – like this one – requires fourteen. Aulë created thirteen Dwarves – the Seven Fathers and Six Mothers of the Dwarves. Durin had no wife at the beginning. He found her later, after a quest of his own, and it is said she was of a race other than Dwarf." The big Dwarf shrugged. "We needed a fourteenth member to represent her."

Bella blinked in shock. She did not know much about Dwarf history, but almost every mention of the Dwarves, no matter how small, referred to the greatest of them as 'Durin's folk'. "So I am here as the representative of the wife of the Dwarf for which his people were named after? The eldest and most revered of all your ancestors?" Dwalin nodded and she swallowed as her eyes fell closed. "No pressure there," she muttered, frowning as Dwalin chuckled.

These Dwarves would be the death of her.

Later that evening, Bella sat in the Hall of Fire, listening with pleasure to the sagas of the Second Age. Her conversation with Dwalin in the garden put her in a mood for such old tales and, since she wasn't likely to get any stories from the Dwarves, this fit her mood to perfection. She knew most of the histories thanks to her extensive book collection back home – many of which she inherited from her parents as well as others she had found or picked up on her own.

To know that some of the folk in this very room witnessed the same great deeds and events…

Her mind boggled at trying to comprehend the whole of it.

Ori sat with her, his usual quill and journal tucked away so he could give his full attention to listening. She hoped Fíli and Kíli might be somewhere nearby as well – it would do them good to get a personal viewpoint on Elves. Left to Thorin's devices, they would continue the same cycle of hatred and skepticism. Thorin might have a reason for his distrust, at least based on what she managed to glean from Gandalf and what little she overheard on the journey, but that did not mean he should paint the whole of a Race based on one group's actions…or lack thereof.

A hint of movement drew her attention to the shadows. Nori lounged against the wall, his sharp gaze roving over the room. She would have called it restless, but he seemed too focused for that. He caught her watching him and returned her curious look with one of his own.

"Don't mind him," Ori whispered. "My brothers…they just…" He shrugged.

"They worry about you?" Bella finished for him.

"Too much," he agreed. "I can take care of myself, but try telling them that."

Bella considered that as she watched the servants move through the room and winding the mechanisms which would allow the fans in the ceiling to swing and cool the air. The last time she felt the level of protectiveness Dori and Nori showed their youngest brother…would have been before the death of her parents. Being an only child in the Shire wasn't unique by any means, but being the only _surviving_ child? That not only meant being the only focus for her parents' attention, it meant being the focus of their fears – thus the stifling overprotective blanket as she moved into her tweens.

A sheen of tears glistened in her eyes as she remembered becoming impatient with their cautions and their warnings. All tweens felt that way, she knew, but the three of them lost any chance of moving beyond parent and child to adults who could share hobbies and passions and stories when first her father, then her mother passed away. How much time she spent resenting them for their protection – overprotection! And how much they must have loved her to be so concerned. Even knowing how death could come without warning as it had for Bilbo, even then she never thought it would come for her parents or how little time she would have with them.

"Treasure it," she told Ori, a hitch in her voice drawing his eyes to her face.

"Mistress Baggins?" he frowned as concern began to glimmer in his expression.

She shook her head. "I've been there," she told him, "and I would give almost anything to be able to go back." A sad sort of smile curved her lips and she stood up, turning towards the door. Her eyes met Nori's narrowed gaze of consideration before returning to Ori. "Treasure your brothers. One day you will miss this."

With that final comment, conscious of both brothers staring after her, Bella walked out of the hall.

The night air cooled Bella's face as she made her way from the Hall of Fire to one of the many fountains dotted around Rivendell. She sat on the edge and let her fingers drift over the surface of the water. Each time she spoke with one of her companions, they drew her further and deeper into this quest. They made it personal for her, something more than a good deed or a collection of adventures. She'd already given her word – and a Baggins never broke their word – but it was more than that. The Dwarves wanted a home, somewhere they could feel the same sort of peace Rivendell gave to her.

She left her home of her own free will and still felt off-balance. How much worse was it for them – those who had their homes stolen from them? Torn away in a blaze of dragon fire?

"Mistress Baggins? Are you well?"

Bella lifted her eyes to meet Balin's concerned gaze. "I'm fine, Master Balin." She gave him a small smile. "Thank you."

"Ori expressed some concern," he told her as he moved to sit near her. "He said you seemed upset about something."

"Old memories," she replied with a shake of her head. "Ori's brothers and their hovering…it reminded me of my parents." He nodded, but remained silent. After a moment she lifted her shoulders in a shrug. "I used to get irritated with it as well, but…now…now I would have it back if I could."

"Family can be both a minor curse and a great blessing," he chuckled.

She laughed with him, acknowledging the truth of the statement. Silence settled between them, the night air still and restful as nocturnal birds sang and the voices of the hall drifted out to them. Bella turned to him. "Balin," she began, "would you tell me about Durin?"

If her question surprised him, he kept it to himself. "What would you like to know?"

"Dwalin said his wife was not a Dwarf?" she prompted.

"She was not," he agreed. This time he could not prevent the surprise from showing in his expression. He gave her a keen look before continuing. "Durin was the eldest of the Seven Fathers and the only one to sleep alone beneath the mountains until the awakening of the Elves. The others rested in pairs, two Fathers and two Mothers in each place." Balin went on to describe the locations of each resting place and the lines of Dwarves which grew from them.

"Why didn't Durin have someone with him?"

"No one knows the truth of it, lass," Balin replied, his formality disappearing as he warmed to the subject. "All we know for certain is that he did marry and begin the royal line, the line of which Thorin and the boys are the direct heirs. Some claim he married the daughter of another Father, but the legends tell us a different story."

"Legends?"

Her enthusiasm appeared to please him and he relaxed into the stone seat. The distinctive voice took on a more vibrant tone. "Legends indeed," he nodded. "They say Durin paid little heed to his solitary state, busy with his craft and the gathering of his people. Slowly though, a desire for a partner, for someone to share his joys – in people, in craft, in creation, began to grow within his heart. He too wondered why he, of all the Fathers, would be alone." The Dwarf elder grew silent, his head bowed, and Bella held her breath. Of all of the Dwarves on her journey, only Glóin spoke of a wife. Did they too wonder? Balin lifted his head and continued. "One night, he dreamed of a new place for his people and of the line that would become known as 'Durin's folk'. A voice in the dream told him to find the place he had been shown and it promised him that if he did so, he would also find someone to share his life, a partner for him and a Mother for the line he would found."

The legend enthralled her. Bella could never resist a new story; even supper could wait if it meant hearing the rest of Balin's tale.

"Durin awoke and set out on his journey, promising to send word when he found the promised homeland. Many long months passed during his travels, but he remained steadfast in finding the partner and the home pledged to him. One day, so the stories say, just as the day settled into twilight, he came upon a group of wandering folk dedicated to Mahal's wife, Yavanna. They were encamped for the evening and wary of strangers in the dark. One of them, a member of some standing – the stories speak of a seer – spoke on his behalf and their entire bearing changed. He found a warm welcome at their campfires. An evening of song and feasting followed, during which he heard much of their travels, including the story of a pool of clear water in which one could see the stars above mirrored on the earth below. Something tugged at him, a wish to see the jewels of the sky in reflected in such a manner."

Bella understood the desire – she could feel her own yearning bubble up in her heart.

"The next morning he asked to meet with the leaders of the wanderers to obtain what directions they might have and he met the eldest daughter of their hunt leader." Balin smiled at the Hobbit hanging on his words. "The wanderers remained in that spot for a long while – and so too did Durin. When at long last he continued on his way, he walked with a new bride beside him. Her people wished them a safe journey with all the blessings of Yavanna and told the couple they would follow in the spring to see the daughter's new home. Durin and his wife found the pool which he named Mirrormere and there his heart felt at rest. He sent word back to his people and then he and his wife set to work. While he crafted stone and metal, she created gardens on the slopes. Between the two of them they founded a mighty city and kingdom – Khazad-dûm, better known to other folk as Moria." The Dwarf gave a small nod of the head as he completed his tale. "No one knows the full truth of it, but the legends have lasted far longer than any other theory."

"Oh, my," she sighed, her mind still lost in the wonder of Balin's words. She felt honored that he shared the story at all, given the secrecy with which the Dwarves draped anything to do with their culture. "Dwalin said that she was why you needed fourteen on the journey."

"He spoke truly," Balin nodded, her reaction bringing a light of approval to his face. "Companies of fourteen prove steadier and more successful. Some say it is because of the balance – others say we are blessed by both Mahal and Yavanna by honoring her in such a way. All I can say, Mistress Baggins, is that we are grateful you chose to join us."

"Most of you anyway?" Bella laughed, a pleased tint coloring her cheeks.

"Oh, no," he shook his head. "All of us – even if some are more hardheaded about it than most."

Her clear laughter rang through the garden, echoed by his deeper chuckles, and Bella felt something click within her, like the small piece of a larger puzzle falling into place. Perhaps, just perhaps, a greater force brought her to this journey.


	6. Promises & Warnings

_Author's Note: As you will see in this chapter, I am using the film version's idea of when the Battle of Azanulbizar took place. I believe the loss of Erebor and that battle to be one of those points in time where there is a_ _ **Before**_ _and an_ _ **After**_ _. Those who remember Before will always be bound in some way that separates them from those who only know the world of After._

 **Promises & Warnings**

Bella stared at the small sword where it lay on her bed. Her mind whirled as she considered the actions she planned to take. When Gandalf gave her the weapon, she knew things would change. After the encounter with the Wargs – she knew change had become not only inevitable, but necessary. As things stood, luck and Hobbit stealth aside, she would be a burden on the Company – a weakness in the event of another attack.

What if someone got hurt, or even died, to keep her safe?

The very idea horrified her. She did not want to consider the reality. With that thought in mind, she had pulled out the sword on contemplated what she could do to amend the situation. Reality did more than stare her in the face; it glared. Bella would have to learn something about sword work. At the least, she would have to learn how not to kill herself.

But from whom?

The Elves she dismissed at once – they already seemed to disapprove of her connection to the Dwarves. She could only imagine what they would think of her asking about weapons training. Of the Dwarves themselves… Different issues arose there. She felt most comfortable with Bofur and Bombur, as well as the young ones, Fíli, Kíli, and Ori. None of them impressed her as a good choice for sword trainer. Fíli came closest, but she needed to keep every ounce of authority she could scrape together to deal with him and his brother. Becoming his student would not help with that.

She considered the others.

Dori, Bifur, and Óin would not work for various reasons, including the fact that none of them used a sword. Dori's behavior tended to be the most circumspect of the Dwarves, almost befitting a gentle hobbit in many ways. Bifur and Óin's difficulties in communicating made lessons on any subject problematic.

Glóin used an axe as opposed to a sword, and while she managed to form a connection with him over his family stories, which she alone still let him tell, she felt he did not possess the necessary patience for teaching.

Bella turned her thoughts to the last four Dwarves. Nori might work. While he did not use a sword either, he did use knives; she had seen him practicing a time or two. Though he might be a little too flighty for her tastes. Balin… She hesitated there. He used a sword, and patience was one of his virtues, but they needed him (and his level head) focused on keeping Thorin in line as much as possible. That left Thorin himself or Dwalin.

She winced. Neither prospect filled her with glee.

Thorin used a sword and Yavanna only knew how many different weapons Dwalin knew.

Both of them made her nervous.

Exasperation set in. "Belladonna Lilly Baggins! That is enough!" She snatched up the sword as she muttered under her breath. "Are you a grown Hobbit or not? Behave like one and go do what you know has to be done!"

Her steps, now determined, now faltering, carried her through the main areas of Rivendell. As she went, she did her best to keep the sword concealed in the folds of her skirt. No reason to announce its presence to all and sundry. She still could not decide which of the Dwarves to ask, so decided to see who she found first and then make a final decision. Dwalin's size and his perpetual distrust made her uncertain. Then again –Thorin's scowl and disdainful attitude often vexed her.

Stone scraped on metal. The sound drew her into a secluded courtyard. Green vines crawled along thick stone walls while a solitary fountain bubbled in the center of an empty stone circle. No flowers blossomed in here and the sound almost seemed to deaden before it slipped free. This must be some kind of thinking spot.

Though she doubted any Elf used the sharpening of an axe as a focus for contemplation.

"Like to wander, don't you?" Dwalin tucked his chin down, most of his attention still on his axe, though he sent a glance her way.

"Less wandering than halfhearted about looking for someone, I think," the Hobbit confessed.

His eyebrows went up at that and he turned away from his weapon to concentrate on her. "And?" he prompted.

"There's something I need to do," she sighed. "I don't want to, but I know it's necessary." Her shoulders lifted in a shrug and had the added effect of bringing the sword into view. As she might have expected, the weapon caught his eye. A thoughtful look crossed his face. She heaved another sigh. "And yes, it has to do with the sword." Now calculation joined the thoughtfulness, but he waited her out in silence. Her thoughts jumped about for a few moments until she forced herself to continue. "This thing might only be a letter opener as Balin calls it," she explained, "but I need to learn to use it." The shadow of a frown entered his countenance and she hastened to finish before he could speak. "Or how not to kill myself with it anyways. I'm no warrior-."

"Most aren't," Dwalin interrupted. She blinked at him and one corner of his mouth tilted in a crooked smile. "All of them are fighters," he gestured to his axe, clearly meaning the rest of the Company, "but they aren't warriors. Me, yeah, and Thorin. Maybe the boys, but not the others."

Disbelief rose and she could not keep quiet. "None of them?"

"Thorin had no choice," he informed her. "You heard the story of the battle. Our people needed a warrior king, so that's what he became. Fíli and Kíli are following in his footsteps – in their own ways. Balin fought, Bifur as well, but they've got no heart for battle. In better days, they'd have been nowhere near the place." His eyes went dark and distant, but Bella remained still so as not to interrupt this unexpected revelation. "Óin was there, in the camp with the few other healers we still had left to us. Dori wasn't there, but his mother…something broke in her and she was never the same after the dragon. She needed him with her. The rest of them hadn't even been born."

"Oh, my." She felt stunned. They had told her the basic story back in Hobbiton, of course, but she had never quite put together how personal it might be for some of them. For most of them it might be history, but for a handful… The memory, not story, shaped their entire view on life. Granted, Dwarves lived longer than Hobbits, but for so many of them to have been born _after_ everything happened – how young had the others been when they lost everything?

Dwalin grimaced and she thought he might be regretting how much he had said. "No, you're not a warrior," he agreed, "but yes, you need to know how to hold that thing, letter opener or not." He fixed his gaze on her once more. "So who were you looking for?"

"You," she admitted, "or Master Thorin."

"Least you're not a coward," he chuckled, "or stupid." She stared at him and he shook his head. "Think I don't know the strengths and weaknesses of the entire Company, lass?"

"Yes, well-."

"And why not Balin?" he asked as he folded his arms over his chest.

A light blush blossomed in her cheeks, but she met his look with determination of her own. "While I am certain Master Balin would be an excellent teacher, I would prefer he remain focused on…" Here she paused over her choice of words and his eyebrows went up in silent question. "Focused on overseeing the day to day business of the Company," she finished.

Amusement softened the stance of his shoulders and he rose from his seat. She did her best not to flinch away as he stepped up beside her and a hint of approval entered his countenance. "Not a coward," he repeated. "And starting better than most who come to it as an adult."

"Oh?"

"You know you need to learn and you had enough sense to go looking for the best instead of the easiest," he shrugged. "And I've seen you helping Bombur. You're not some simpering, squeamish type, even if you are the soft sort." Her lips pursed, but she handed him the sword when he held out a hand. "Got some soft sorts back in Ered Luin." His other hand landed on her shoulder and propelled her towards the empty area between the fountain and the door to the courtyard. "They're worse," he acknowledged. "Try asking them to gut a rabbit. They go all pale."

"And how else is a single Hobbit supposed to have a nice rabbit or pheasant stew unless they take care of it themselves?" she laughed. "Pay the youngling down the way?"

"Most of them would." The tall Dwarf placed the sword on a bench at the side. "First things first," he told her, his voice shifting to a teaching cadence. "If you want to use a weapon, you learn to stand properly."

Later that evening, after a long soak in a hot bath to help her sore muscles, Bella wandered through Elrond's home, enjoying the cool night air. She could hear her companions' raucous laughter behind her, but she ignored it until it faded into the darkness. One of the many balconies drew her and she leaned against the railing for several minutes, soaking in the peaceful atmosphere and smiling at the patterns of light created by candles and fires throughout the entire valley. A small sound drew her attention and she glanced around to find Thorin watching her from deeper shadows near the main building. She could feel her face growing warm and that prompted her to open her mouth to speak, not knowing what words might come flying out.

Voices rose from below before she could find out.

"It's a dangerous move." Elrond's voice reached them first.

"It is also dangerous to do nothing!" Gandalf's voice came in reply. "Oh, come – the throne of Erebor is Thorin's birthright! What is it you fear?"

"A strain of madness runs deep in that family. His grandfather lost his mind. His father succumbed to the same sickness. Can you swear Thorin Oakenshield will not also fall?"

Bella almost flinched, mortification bringing a flush to her cheeks as her eyes remained locked to Thorin's. He too heard Elrond's harsh words echoing up in the still air as Elf and Wizard walked along on the path beneath the balcony. Hobbit and Dwarf remained silent, waiting and letting the conversation pass into the distance. She could not decide what to say and she watched him wrestling with emotion – anger maybe or even a form of despair? Did it even matter?

"Anything you care to add, Mistress Baggins?" When Thorin finally did speak, he seemed to force the words past his clenched jaw. "Maybe now that your precious Elves have weighed in with their opinion, perhaps you'd like to drop out of the Company?"

"Don't be ridiculous," she chided him. Elrond's words concerned her, but she possessed enough spine to know her own mind. "I still plan to travel with you."

"Why?" he demanded, the intensity deepening in his expression. "Why do you continue?

"Because I gave my word," she shot back at him. Her temper began to flare at his questioning. "I don't care about the opinions of any other person – Elf, Dwarf, Man, or Hobbit – when I give my word on something, I keep it. My word is as serious as any oath to me."

"And if he is right?" Thorin jerked his head in the direction Elrond had walked. "If madness-?"

Bella gave an irritated, wordless huff of breath, interrupting his words. "I'm not going to go borrowing trouble," she told him. An ironic note bled into her voice. "There's enough trouble waiting as it is with a dragon at the end of the journey." Then she lifted her chin. "And if you do start acting mad, I'll do the same thing to you as I do to Lobelia Sackville-Baggins when she starts misbehaving."

"What is that?" he frowned, his attention diverted by the unexpected comment.

"I shall find something long and steady to hit you with," she told him in a sharp tone. "Though instead of aiming for your backside, I shall aim for your head."

Startled laughter burst out of him. "You are full of surprises, Mistress Baggins." Surprise mingled with curiosity in his voice. Some of the darkness lifted from his visage. "I would not have believed you possessed such a vehement nature."

"Yes, well, you have not met Lobelia," she muttered, her cheeks flushing even further as she realized she had just been talking to a Dwarf king as though he were some misbehaving tween boy.

"Sounds like something to be avoided."

"You have no idea," she rolled her eyes. "And should you ever suffer such a fate, do count your silver before she takes her leave."

A real smile banished what remained of the shadows. "A Hobbit thief?" he mused. "The world outside of the Shire has been gravely misled. A Hobbit matron known for pilfering the silver and a Hobbit burglar-."

"I am _not_ a burglar," she sighed. "Dratted Wizard."

Her mutter drew another quick grin. "Expert treasure-hunter, then?"

"Only if by treasure you mean something more intangible than coinage." Now her laughter spilled into the night, mellifluous and gentle. "Treasure seeking…such a strange occupation for a Hobbit to find herself."

"And how did you find your first sword lesson?"

Bella's nose scrunched up before she could catch herself. His soft chuckle made her feel better about it, but she still smoothed her expression before answering his question. "Tiring, quite tiring. I did not realize how much effort it could take to just…stand."

"But you are not 'just' anything," he pointed out. "The proper stance will give you the ability to adjust your movement to counter that of your opponent's."

"So Dwalin informed me," she nodded. "I never thought about it."

"If you've never used a weapon, then you had no reason to consider it." Thorin watched her for a moment. "Your stance shifted," he noted with a bit of satisfaction. "That's good. The motion will come easier with practice and you will save valuable seconds in the event of an attack. Dwalin is a good teacher."

"Taskmaster," she corrected.

"That, too." Amused agreement met her disgruntled tone. "Better that he go hard on you now. If he is too easy on you, then he will feel responsible if you come to harm later. His cruelty in lessons gives you a better chance of surviving a real battle."

"I…just don't want to be responsible for someone else's suffering." Color rose in her cheeks as his eyes grew intent again. "Not if there's something I can do or learn that would prevent it. Maybe I can, maybe I can't, but I have to try." Her parents would have approved, she knew, but she wanted the acceptance of her companions as well.

"It is more than many would do." Some of the harshness returned to his face. "Most would refuse to make any such accommodation."

"I do not believe I qualify as 'most' people."

"No, no, you do not." The Dwarf king looked at her for a long few seconds before he offered a formal nod. "You have honor, Mistress Baggins."

She ducked her head, tucking an errant lock of hair behind one ear.

"We should return to the rest of the Company." A thread of warmth remained in his voice even as he continued in a more businesslike manner. "We will depart soon."

Bella's eyes went wide before narrowing. "That's…rather abrupt."

"On the Wizard's advice," Thorin admitted. "I dislike sneaking out like thieves, regardless of their presence in the Company," he paused, one corner of his mouth twitching in near amusement at her flat look, "but I would be out of this place before the Elves come up with a way to prevent us from leaving on time." Caution began to flicker into his eyes yet again. "They have little liking for our quest – no matter how helpful they have been in the matter of the map."

"And I suppose it doesn't hurt that we shall be leaving before Lord Elrond learns of the destruction of his furniture?" she dared to tease, hoping to push away the shadows for a few minutes more. Her time wandering Rivendell included a visit to his library – and she knew how long of a journey they still faced. The longer they could go without being overwhelmed by shadows, the better.

He gave her an innocent look that would not have fooled a troll. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Of course you don't," she murmured. "So _that's_ where the boys get it."

"Ah." He drew out the sound. "That reminds me. About the boys-."

"The Company," she interrupted him. Her steps grew faster as she moved ahead, looking towards the glow of the flames around which she could see the shadows of Dwarves still gathered. "You wanted us to be on our way, remember?"

"We're not finished with this topic, Mistress Baggins." His voice held both promise and warning.

Of that, Bella held no doubt.


	7. Giants and Goblins and Gollum Oh My!

_Author's Note: A million thank yous to all of my reviewers and especially to Beloved Daughter for being so faithful in leaving them. Your favs and alerts and reviews make my day! I hope everyone's enjoying my little changes as well as Bella's thoughts and impressions._

 **Giants and Goblins and Gollum, Oh My!**

 _Who knew such landscapes existed in the world?_

Though perhaps Bella should rethink that.

 _Did any other Hobbit know such landscapes exist?_

Not that they would care. She tried to take in everything she could see, committing it to memory. Her kinfolk would never see it, and even if the worst should happen to drive them out of the Shire, they would never appreciate the splendor in these vistas. No cultivated greenery softened the angles or cuts of rock. No fragrance of tilled earth or blooming orchards drifted on the afternoon breeze. Instead the stark and sometimes harsh beauty of nature at its wildest filled the world around her.

"Mistress Baggins?"

Bella looked around with a smile. "Master Dori," she greeted the Dwarf who had come up beside her.

"Mistress Baggins," Dori nodded, "I'm sorry to trouble you, but I wondered if I might make a suggestion? I wouldn't normally be so forward with this, but I feel it might be unkind of me to not mention it."

"Mention what, Master Dori?" Curiosity colored her voice. "I won't take insult, I promise."

"I certainly hope not," he grimaced, a hint of color darkening his cheeks. "It's just… Mistress Baggins, I don't think your attire will manage the mountains. Those passes and the weather they have..." He shook his head.

"Oh." She smoothed a hand down her skirt. The material matched that used by the farmers in the Shire. It was meant for hard work, but if Dori thought it wouldn't serve… "I'm afraid this is all I have."

"If you wouldn't find it too insulting," he began and then hesitated.

"Please," she encouraged him. "I'm open to suggestions."

"Well, I have some things of Ori's, things he outgrew before he ever had the chance to really wear them, and I could probably make some alterations which would make them serviceable." He grimaced. "If not exactly appropriate." A bit of a sigh escaped the older Dwarf as he looked over to where his youngest brother scribbled away in a journal. "How he's managing to still outgrow his things, I just don't know."

"What younglings do," she offered, "or so I've been told." He chuckled and she returned another smile. "Anyway, I would be happy with anything at all that you think might work. You are the expert here after all. On mountain passes, certainly, and likely on sewing as well." She giggled. "My mother despaired of me managing more than the simplest of stitches and buttonholes. I can manage repairs, but not such an alteration."

"You let me worry about that," Dori nodded, looking happy and satisfied. "I'll have you set to rights in no time."

Bella ended up being grateful beyond measure for Dori's foresight a few days later when they took the mountain pass.

Maybe she should be happy that the low points of this adventure meant being cold and wet. As long as that remained her fate, then she had nothing to worry about in regards to the dragon. They started up the mountain pass and the skies opened with a violent flash of lightning. Wind and rain lashed them in a ferocious game of tag as they chased each other around the mountains.

"Hold on!"

Thorin's shout echoed back through the crashing thunder. _Hold on to what exactly?_ Bella pushed back against the rock, her eyes all but closed against the force of the wind and rain as it lashed through the pass. The path beneath her feet crumbled. A shriek tore from her throat as she began to fall, but a strong arm caught her and pulled her up. Dwalin did his best to tuck her between him and the stone of the mountain. With that little bit of extra shelter, she could open her eyes enough to catch the concern on Thorin's face.

"We must find shelter!"

"Watch out!"

She felt more than heard Dwalin's shout where his chest pressed against her shoulder. Her gaze moved along his line of sight and she felt her jaw drop as she saw an enormous chunk of rock hurtling through the air. It struck somewhere above them and pieces of stone came rattling down. Bella ducked back, not the slightest bit ashamed of trying to stay beneath the refuge provided by the Dwarves around her.

"This is no thunderstorm!"

Peeking around Bofur, she spotted Balin moving forward a step or two.

"It's a thunder battle!" he shouted, gesturing into the storm ahead of them. "Look!"

A colossal form, angular and squared off like the stone around them, heaved itself up from a nearby mountain and ripped a large chunk of its neighboring rock free to use as a projectile. One large arm reached back, the boulder in hand. Bella stared, no longer noticing the actual storm.

"Well bless me!" Bofur moved until he stood at the edge of the path. "The legends are true! Giants; Stone Giants!"

The figure threw the rock past them and Bella followed its flight to see another huge figure appear in time to be hit in the head with the thrown stone. Trolls, Orcs, and Wargs – those almost made sense to her. They fit in the world she knew even if she could not understand the evil impulses which impelled them to behave the way they did. But these! Would the entire mountain range come alive under their feet?

"Take cover!" Thorin shouted again, this time focused on Bofur as he stood exposed and more vulnerable. "You'll fall!"

"What's happening?" Kíli demanded. The uncertainty in his voice pulled at Bella, but she could not move.

"Brace!"

"Hold on!"

Distinguishing between yells proved impossible and she focused on keeping her balance as steady as she could, planting her feet as she might while walking across the top of a fence. Grim amusement welled within as she realized some of her tween mischief might actually prove to be beneficial. So much for all the warnings of the elder Hobbit about mischief being a useless waste of time!

"Kíli!" Now Fíli's worry drew her attention, but before she could make any attempt to move this time she felt the ground beneath her shift. It moved! Fíli shouted again. "Grab my hand! Kí-!"

The next chunk of time passed in a blurry nightmare of rain, thunder, and lightning. It proved almost too much for Bella to cling to the Dwarves around her who appeared to be able to remain connected to the earth no matter what happened. Then everything seemed to solidify and she could feel the wind pushing against her as the piece of mountainside under their feet rushed towards the unmoving rock in front of them. Time slowed, as if some great hand reached out and held back the clock of the stars. A jut of stone faced her across the diminishing space and she could almost taste the death awaiting her. Almost without thinking she pushed towards Bofur, her body reacting as her mind froze in the terror of the moment. The gap slammed closed and she found herself scrabbling for a place in the small empty area formed by the ledge and two walls. She fell too close to the edge. Her hands could not manage a grasp and she felt herself slip.

Bella screamed, but the sound became lost amidst the deafening battle still raging around them.

"They're alive!"

She heard the yells above her and tried to drag in enough air for another scream as she clung to the cliff with her fingertips.

Then she could hear Bofur. "Where's Bella?"

Ori appeared at the edge and lunged for her hand, but she slipped, falling a few feet before she managed to snag another small outcropping of rock. More of the Dwarves tried to reach her to pull her up, without success. Then Thorin swung down beside her. _What is the idiot doing?_ Half of her mind choked in gratitude at no longer being alone while the more sensible half would rail at the Dwarf if she had breath enough to speak. Thorin gave her enough of a boost for the others to pull her to safety.

Then he slipped.

Her throat closed as a new fear shook through her, but then Dwalin managed to pull him up. Everyone seemed to sigh with relief. Her weapons instructor turned to her. "I thought we'd lost our burglar."

"She should never have come!" Thorin bit out.

Bella whirled on him. "Don't you start!" she snapped. They glared at each other, a spark of reluctant admiration in his face as irritation flashed in hers. "I'd like to see anyone – even a Dwarf – keep their footing when they try to avoid being smashed into a piece of rock while being thrown across a mountain pass because they're standing on a moving giant!" She waved a hand at the Dwarves who shared the harrowing ride with her. "They were fortunate enough to be directed into open space. I was not." Her hands came to rest on her hips. "So I don't want to hear one word about how I should never have come. I will not have it! Do you hear me?"

Twin snickers met the question and she turned her ireful gaze on the boys.

"We spotted a cave!" Fíli announced, focusing on his uncle and avoiding her look.

Kíli nodded, looking above her at Dwalin. "It's just ahead. Doesn't look too deep, but it should hold us."

Thorin gave his nephews a sharp glance that she could not quite interpret. "Let's go," he ordered, also sidestepping any further argument with her. He followed as Fíli began leading them down the path.

Dwalin gave her a small push, so she ended up behind Thorin with the tall Dwarf following her. Bella continued to mutter under her breath about stubborn and thick headed Dwarves, keeping her voice down to avoid being heard by the entire Company. The stiff set of the shoulders in front of her and the low chuckles behind her, however, indicated the Dwarf king and his best warrior could hear every word. She tried to feel embarrassed about that fact, as it was hardly proper behavior, but for the life of her – Baggins or no – she could not find it in her to be so bothered.

"Here we are," Kíli announced, and Thorin nodded his approval.

Glóin dropped a bundle of wood on the floor and she spared a moment to wonder how in Yavanna's name he managed to have dry wood after that ridiculous journey through the storm. She gave up after a moment. It did not seem to matter as much as the idea of being warm and dry once more. He seemed to feel the same, rubbing his hands together with a grin. "Right then! Let's get a fire started."

"No, no fires in this place," Thorin announced. "Get some sleep. We leave at first light. Bofur, take the first watch."

 _I simply must find something to smack him with._ She rolled her eyes, but dug out the driest clothes she could find and stepped back into the shadows to change. As had become their habit, Dori and his brothers created a solid wall of backs that allowed her more modesty than she might have had. Not that any of the Dwarves ever gave her cause for alarm, but she found the courtesy quite charming.

"Thank you," she murmured, slipping past them and back to her own blankets.

"Of course, Mistress Baggins," Dori offered a genial nod. "Of course. Never a problem."

Sleep eluded her. After tossing and turning for much too long, Bella rose from her blanket and made her way closer to the mouth of the cave. Stealthy Hobbit footsteps meant none of the Dwarves stirred as she passed, but Bofur smiled as she came up beside him where he stood watch.

"Trouble sleeping, lass?" he asked, fiddling with his pipe.

"Do you think he's right?" The question popped out of Bella's mouth before she knew she planned to ask. She suppressed a wince. If Bofur of all people agreed with Thorin, it might break her resolve to see the quest through to whatever end.

His brow furrowed. "Who?"

"Master Thorin," she clarified. "About me being here, I mean. How he thinks I don't belong."

"He doesn't think that," the miner scoffed. She went to argue, but he shook his head. "His mouth got away with his temper. Something he does a rare good job with, if you've noticed. Does the same to the Wizard, yeah?" A cheeky grin creased his cheerful face. "You can't turn back now. You're part of the Company – you're one of us."

"Am I?" she wondered. "Sometimes-."

A strange clanking sort of noise caught her attention and she stopped to look around. Her gaze crossed both Thorin and Dwalin's and she flushed as she realized they must have heard her words to Bofur.

"What's that?" Bofur asked. When she glanced at him, he gestured towards her waist.

No, towards the sword belted at her hip. Bella pulled it out of the scabbard just enough to see the blue glow emanating from it. Gandalf's words from the troll hole came back to her: _"It will glow blue when Orcs or Goblins are nearby."_ Her breath caught. "Oh, no."

The clanking noise came again.

"Wake up!" Thorin shouted. "Wake up!"

The floor gave way beneath them. Bella fell with a cry and felt herself sliding along a rough slope of some kind. She tumbled along rocks and stones, taking on all kinds of bumps and bruises as she went. A hard hand grabbed her arm and she felt herself pulled against another body which curled around her, shielding her from the worst of the impacts. The final landing jarred every bone in her body, but her Dwarf shield again seemed to take the brunt of it.

Thank goodness for Dwarves being as hard and enduring as the stone from which they had been carved.

She looked around to meet Dori's gaze. His concern pulled a tiny smile from her, but she never got the chance to speak. A horde of hideous, sore-riddled Goblins swarmed up and attacked them. Despite the Dwarves attempts to fight them off, the Goblins managed to disarm them and then began to drag the Company away. Dori pushed her behind him and Bella ducked down, drawing on every Hobbit trick she could to stay out of sight. The tricks worked. The Goblins pushed and prodded the Dwarves, but not one touched her. She crouched as low as she could and then became motionless, doing nothing to draw their attention.

Her gaze met Nori's as he glanced back over his shoulder.

Bella waited, letting the Goblins and their captives get far enough ahead that she could follow without catching their attention. Or so she hoped. When they seemed far enough away, she pulled herself to her feet and drew her sword. The bright blue blazed in the darkness like a beacon, flaring as if in desire to take the fight to the creatures of darkness.

She took a deep breath.

And another.

Then Bella began to creep across the first bridge, staying low and watching for any creatures headed her way. She reached the first landing without a problem, pausing to try and check the next stretch ahead. Everything looked clear enough and she stepped forward.

A small Goblin dropped down on the bridge in front of her and charged. They exchanged a few sword blows. Bella managed to stay alive, a tiny corner of her mind making a note to remember to thank Dwalin if they managed to get out of this mountain in one piece. Then the Goblin jumped on top of her. She was not sure what it was trying to do, but she managed to throw it off. It went careening over the edge of the bridge into the darkness below.

Bella could not hold her balance and followed.

Another tumble down rocks and stone battered and bashed her. She managed to tighten her grip on her sword, the automatic motion keeping the weapon with her as she fell. How far down she slipped and slid, she could not guess, and one final stone struck her temple a glancing blow.

The blackness overtook her and she knew nothing further.

Not until she blinked open heavy eyes to find herself on the ground staring at large mushrooms. She lay still, trying to determine what had happened. Something on the others side of the patch caught her eye and she realized it was the same Goblin. It lay there, movements sluggish, and she waited. She felt too battered to take on another fight unless she had no other choice. Her sword had landed beside her, and she spared a moment to wonder if Dwalin would be proud at how well she managed to retain his teachings. A different sort of movement caught her attention and she shifted her gaze.

 _What in Yavanna's name was_ _ **that**_ _?_

The newcomer looked thin and gangly and like nothing she had ever seen or heard of before. A few wisps of hair floated around its head and its face seemed filled with huge eyes. The ears and the feet seemed familiar for some reason, but in combination with everything else she could not decide why.

"Yes. Yes. Yes! Yes!" The creature examined the Goblin, a sense of satisfaction coating its voice. Then it gave a harsh sort of croaking sound. "Gollum. Gollum."

It began to pull the Goblin away by its feet. The motion must have woken the Goblin fully because it began to thrash and flail about. The other creature….the… What should she call it? The…Gollum creature bashed it on the head. As her sword continued to glow blue, half hidden by herself and some rocks thank goodness, the Goblin must have only been knocked unconscious.

Something fell as Gollum…that name would do as well as any other for now she supposed… Anyway, something golden fell as Gollum began dragging the Goblin again. She could see it glinting in the dim light.

"Nasty Goblinses," Gollum muttered. "Better than old bones, Precious; better than nothing."

Bella waited until she could see no further movement and then she rose, retrieving her sword and turning to follow the creature. She could see no other way out save straight up, and she was no Goblin to scale sheer walls. The gold glint drew her eyes again and she bent down to pick it up.

A ring.

A gold ring.

She stared at it for a moment, but then heard Gollum singing somewhere up ahead of her. Tucking the ring into her pocket, she took a deep breath and set out to find where this new path might lead her.

 _Out, please Yavanna, let it lead me out!_


	8. Out of the Frying Pan

_Author's Note: One of my reviews said they liked how Bella stood up for herself without becoming a "Mary Sue". Yay! I am beyond thrilled!_

 **Out of the Frying Pan**

Bella crept down the passageway with her only light from the steady blue emanations of her sword. Then a cavern appeared. Some new light, a phosphorescent light coming from the stones or something growing on the stones helped illuminate the place. Which worked in her favor. The new light source meant her sword would not be a beacon to Gollum – who she could still hear singing ahead of her. Quiet footsteps carried her further into the cabin until she could see a dark underground lake and, beyond it, a small island where Gollum perched on top of a large rock. He held something – a piece of stone perhaps? – in his hand. He raised it over his head.

"The cold hard lands, they bites our hands, they gnaws our feet," Gollum sang. "The rocks and stones, they're like old bones, all bare of meat. Cold as death, they have no breath, it's good to eat!"

And brought it down with a sharp crack on the Goblin's head.

Bella gasped and Gollum looked up. She darted back behind a large stone, staring at the glowing sword in her hand. Then the sword began to flicker, its light growing dim. A breath of time passed as she watched. The blue glow went out. So…the Goblin must be dead? She shifted to peek around her sheltering rock.

Gollum had vanished!

 _Oh, no…oh, no…oh, no… Where did he go?_

Having a dangerous creature around counted as a bad thing. Having a dangerous creature around with no idea of where it was? That counted as much, much worse. Bella would prefer to be dealing with a horde of Goblins if only she were not alone.

Something scraped on stone.

Her head lifted, turning up and to the right in time to see Gollum creep over the top of the rock at her back. Something dark and joyful, like an unholy glee, gleamed in the creature's large eyes.

Gollum jumped down and landed in front of her. "Bless us and splash us, Precious!" he crowed. "That's a meaty mouthful!" He moved towards Bella, but she brought up her sword, the point almost resting in the hollow of his throat. Gollum pulled back, fear blossoming in his face. "Gollum! Gollum!"

"Back!" Bella ordered. "Stay back." She pulled herself to her feet, never letting the point of the sword drop. "I'm warning you, don't come any closer."

"It's got an Elfish blade, but it's not an Elfs." He tilted and turned his head as he looked at her. "Not an Elfs, no. What is it, Precious, what is it?"

"My name is Bella Baggins," she replied. "I'm a Hobbit from the Shire."

"Oh!" His attention perked up at that and she had a moment to quail, realizing she might have said too much, but then he spoke and she realized she should be fearing him for an entirely different reason. "We like Goblinses, batses, and fishes, but we haven't tried Hobbitses before." He started to edge closer once more. "Is it soft? Is it juicy?" A mad hunger gleamed in his eyes.

"Now, now." Bella swiped at him with her sword. "Keep…keep your distance! I'll use this if I have to!" Gollum snarled and she shuffled back, terror surging in her heart though she tried not to let it show. "I don't want any trouble, do you understand?" Her mind raced as she tried to think of a way out of her predicament. "Just show me the way to get out of here, and I'll be on my way." Oh, her fickle tongue! Was she supposed to hope she created enough of a threat for him to show her? He ate Goblins! How much of a threat could she be?

"Why?" Gollum asked, his voice rich with sardonic humor. "Is it lost?"

"Yes," she nodded, the move slow and hesitant. "Yes, and I want to get unlost as soon as possible."

"Ooh! We knows!" His voice changed, becoming something altogether different. Now it held a softer note, almost wistful or childlike. "We knows safe paths for Hobbitses. Safe paths in the dark." Gollum seemed to quiver, like a tremor ran over him, and then the harsh note came back in his voice. "Shut up!"

"I didn't say anything." Bella's confusion mounted as the creature gave her yet more and more riddles to solve.

"Wasn't talking to you," he grumbled at her, exasperation clear in his look. He moved around the rock and the wistful note came back. "But yes, we was, Precious, we was."

She tried to take control of the conversation. "Look, I don't know what your game is, but-."

"Games?" Gollum lit up. "We loves games, doesn't we, Precious?" He almost bounced in place. "Does it like games? Does it? Does it? Does it like to play?"

"Maybe?" Her thoughts whirled as she tried to keep up with his shifting behavior.

He held up his hands. "What has roots as nobody sees, is taller than trees. Up, up, up it goes and yet, never grows."

 _Riddles? Because he's not enough of one on his own?_ Bella thought for a moment before the answer came to her. "…the mountain."

Laughter, eerie and unnerving but real laughter spilled out of him. "Yes, yes!" he cheered. "Oh, let's have another one, eh?" One hand waved at Bella. "Yes, come on, do it again, do it. Do it again. Ask us." The tremor passed over him again. "No!" the harsh voice croaked. "No more riddles. Finish him off, finish him now. Gollum! Gollum!"

The wild-eyed creature began to rush at her, but Bella put up a hand. "No!" she insisted. "No, no, no. I…I want to play!" Gollum paused and she hurried to continue, pushing an admiring note into her voice. "I can see you are very good at this. So…so why don't we have a game of riddles?" She crouched until she reached his level. "Yes, just…just you and me."

Gollum scampered forward, the wistful note coming back. "Yes! Yes, just…just us."

"Right," she agreed, holding eye contact. "And if I win, you show me the way out."

"Yes, yes…" His eyes changed, turning away. "And if it loses? What then?" A breath and then the childlike voice replied to the harsher question. "Well, if it loses, Precious, we will eats it!" He quivered as if with a laugh and turned back to Bella. "If Baggins loses, we eats it whole."

Bella paused and took in the idea. _A rescue would be nice right about now!_ As the world did not seem inclined to produce a Company of Dwarves or a Wizard on command, she let a long slow breath slide from her before nodding. "Fair enough." She rose to her feet and put her sword away. Her hand hesitated before releasing the hilt, almost positive she head Dwalin growl before she realized her own memory produced the sound. No doubt her teacher would recommend killing Gollum and be done with it, but she had to consider her current state of affairs.

Lost, alone, and under a mountain full of Goblins.

Not an ideal spot for wandering without a guide – no matter how unideal of a guide.

No, she had to try this way first.

"Well, Baggins first," Gollum decreed as he shifted to the rock, resting his chin and hands on the edge.

Bella thought for a long moment when an old Hobbit riddle came to her. "Thirty white horses on a red hill," she said. "First the champ, then they stamp, then…they stand still."

His eyes shifted and moved with his thoughts, at first widening and the closing as if different answers kept suggesting themselves to him. Sometimes he would open his mouth, looking excited, but then doubt would shift through his face and he would cut himself off before a word came out. "Teeth?" he offered in a question. Her disappointment must have shown clear on her face because he became cheerful and started laughing. "Teeth!" He turned in a circle. "Yes, my Precious." Then he focused on Bella once more. "But we….we only have…nine." His mouth stretched out in a near snarl displaying nine pointed teeth.

The riddles continued, going back and forth between the two of them until Gollum grew impatient, and likely hungry.

"Last question," he growled. "Last chance."

Perhaps the pressure got to her, but she could not come up with a single riddle. The Hobbits played riddle games at every gathering, but now, when she needed it most, her mind went blank. "Ah…um…."

"Ask us," he smiled, one hand behind his back. Then his voice grew louder. "Ask us!"

"Yes, yes," Bella agreed, trying to think. Her footsteps led her to the edge of the lake. Then her hand brushed her pocket and she felt the round shape under the material. "What have I got in my pocket?"

"Not fair!" he grumbled. "It's not fair! It's against the rules!" His hand flashed out, throwing a rock he had held hidden behind his back. She started back, a small sound breaking free from her, but he just pouted. "Ask us another one."

"No." She shook her head. "You said, 'Ask me a question.' Well, that is my question." Her lips firmed. "What have I got in my pocket?"

"Three guesses, Precious," Gollum demanded. "It must give us three."

"Three guesses," Bella nodded, pulling her hand out of her pockets. "Very well. Guess away."

"Handses!"

"Wrong," she informed him. _Thank Yavanna I pulled my hand out in time!_ "Guess again."

Gollum crouched, muttering and slapping the floor as she watched. His growing anger made her nervous and she drew her sword. His grumbling grew as he tried to choose an answer. "Fish-bones, Goblin's teeth, wet shells, bat's wings…" Then he looked at her. "Knife!" His head shifted to one side. "Shut up!" he ordered under his breath.

"Wrong again," she shook her head. "Last guess."

"String," came the wistful voice. The harsh voice growled. "Or nothing."

"Two guesses at once," Bella noted, "but both wrong." She lifted her chin. "So, come then, I won the game. You promised to show me the way out."

"Did we say so, Precious? Did we?" His large eyes filled with hatred. "What _has_ it got in its pocketses?"

"That is no longer your concern," she replied, keeping a sharp eye on his movements. "You lost."

"Lost?" Gollum grinned, the jagged points of his teeth menacing as he approached her. "Lost?" His hand reached to his side, groping for something. Bewilderment entered his visage and he began to search with wild frantic motions. "Where is it?" His voice rose in an urgent fear. "Lost! Curses and splashes, my precious is lost!"

She watched him scurry around the cave and scatter bones, rocks, and bits of trash around. Her first sight of Gollum came back to Bella at that moment, when she saw the glint of gold fall from his loincloth to bounce on the cavern floor. Dismay flickered across her face before she could smooth it out. To her luck, he did not see it. She tucked a hand into her pocket, fingers brushing the circular bit of metal, and wet her lips. "What have you lost?"

Little cries came in reply. The sobs grew in power as he leaned over the pool, mourning in every line of his body. "Musn't ask us! Not its business!" He stopped crying, a thought seeming to occur to him, and his face contorted in anger. "What…has it got…in its…nasty…little…pocketses?" Each word dripped from his lips like poisoned sap.

Her hand clutched the sword in front of her, point directed towards the unhappy creature.

"She stole it." Gollum's whisper sounded shocked. Then his voice began to grow louder. "She stole it!" He screamed. "She stole it!" He threw a stone at her, but she managed to deflect with her sword and fled.

Bella rushed through the caves, hearing Gollum screeching and shouting behind her. Twists and turns rush past her as she hurried along, mental prayers to any power she can name flashing through her mind. Eru, Yavanna, Aulë…or maybe that should be Mahal, she wondered with a tinge of hysteria – this being a Dwarvish quest and all. Whatever name, she would be grateful for a hint of direction.

 _Wait! There!_

She spotted a crack in the wall. If she could get through there, she might be able to throw off her pursuer. Her steps turned and rushed for the spot, only for her to trip part way through it and fall, the sword clattering on the stone. Gollum's shouting turned triumphant. She could not yet see him, but he knew these caverns and paths; the cacophony of her fall would draw him to her. Bella bent down to snatch up her sword, her free hand slipping into her pocket to grasp the ring. It slipped onto a finger as they curled around it.

 _What?_

The world around her changed. Everything turned grayish and seemed to go blurry around the edges. She stared around, confusion settling in as she took in the changes.

Gollum leapt into the room.

Bella managed to suppress the cry in her throat. She pushed her back against the rock wall behind her and held the sword out, determined to do her best to kill Gollum before he could kill her. Her breath caught as she waited for him to attack.

"Thief!" Gollum screamed. "Baggins!"

He ran out of the cave, never once looking in her direction. She stared after him in shock. Then she shook herself into motion and followed him. Their path wound through several more caverns before she watched him jump into a tunnel with sunlight streaming at one end. Her heart soared. The exit! Gollum must have thought she had lied and knew the way out. Instead he led her straight to her escape!

"Wait, my Precious! Wait!" Gollum whipped around as if trying to find her…or more likely the ring on her finger. "Gollum."

Nothing but the ring had changed, so it must be the ring which gave her the ability to move without Gollum seeing her. No wonder he managed to survive in the Goblin's mountain! Invisibility proved a precious gift for keeping her alive and it must have done the same for him. Bella crept forward, looking to see about sliding out around the still-searching Gollum.

Then the creature scrabbled back into the smaller passageway and hid behind a rock.

Bella froze. No reason to avoid being eaten by Gollum only to run headlong into a pack of Goblins.

But there were no Goblins. Gandalf appeared in the opening and stopped, his back to her. One hand held his staff as the other made a gesture, directing someone or something to go past him. One by one she watched as the Dwarves ran past the gesturing Wizard. She started to call out, but stopped when her eyes tracked back to Gollum. If she called out he might be able to get to her before she could get the ring off so the Company could see her.

Gollum slipped back into the tunnel after the Wizard left and looked around.

She moved closer and brought up her sword. One quick blow and Gollum would be dead. She would be free to follow her companions. Before she can swing, however, the despondent creature looked towards her. He still could not see her, but now she could see the look in his eyes. Sorrow, deep and extreme sadness glistened in those large eyes. Pity moved within her and she could hear Gandalf's words in her mind. _"True courage is about knowing not when to take a life, but when to spare one."_ She took another look at Gollum's stricken eyes and gave an inaudible sigh.

 _I can't do it._

The sword came down. Bella thought for a moment and then gave a nod as she made up her mind. She moved back a few feet, the sound drawing Gollum's attention. He frowned and began to growl, but she ignored him. She ran, jumping over Gollum and using his head as a springboard to gain a little distance while knocking him over at the same time.

Gollum's fury shrieked down the tunnel behind her.

"Baggins! Thief! Curse it and crush it! We hates it forever!"


	9. And into the Fire

_Author's Note: And here ends "The Unexpected Journey" portion of the adventure. Most of this had been written previously, so I can't even begin to promise the next chapter as quickly as this. Enjoy!_

 **And Into the Fire**

Bella rushed out of the mountain and into the sunlight. Her legs shook, but she forced herself to continue moving forward. She wanted to find the Company – wanted to get back to where she belonged. Yes – back where she belonged. She knew that now. No matter what might happen in the future, no matter what danger still lay before them, she belonged with the Dwarves. Until they once more had a home – the one thing she took for granted – then her place would be at their side fighting to give them that chance.

The world of the ring shook her even more, here in what should be a brilliant sunset. The gray blurry world felt uncanny, unnatural, faded as it was. She hated it…and yet it pulled at her. That disturbed her.

Mere minutes after her escape from the mountain, Bella caught up with the Dwarves. She arrived in time to hear Gandalf counting off as he had done several times before and she paused to listen. "Five, six, seven, eight…Bifur, Bofur. That's ten." She waited. If any of them were lost… "Fíli, Kíli…that's twelve." _One more_ , she thought, _one more_. "And Bombur; that makes thirteen." Her shoulders slumped with her relief, but Gandalf's voice grew tight. "Where's Bella? Where is our Hobbit?"

"Now she's lost?!" Dwalin demanded, sounding grumpier than usual.

She wondered what he expected since she had not been with them during their time in the mountain. Her mouth opened to draw their attention, only to close as they continued talking.

"I thought she was with Dori!" Glóin exclaimed.

Dori began fussing in reply. "She was," he agreed, an unhappy anxiety in his eyes, "but then the attack came and we were separated."

"Well, where did you last see her?" Gandalf demanded, his eyes flashing from beneath his hat.

"I think I saw her slip away," Nori volunteered. "When they first collared us."

"If fortune favored her, then Mistress Baggins is likely halfway to Rivendell by now, headed back to her soft bed and warm hearth" Thorin spoke up at last. Her jaw fell open in a furious incredulity. _Did he really think she would just abandon them?_ Some of the others began to argue, but he spoke over them. "Would you prefer her be dead or lost in that nest of vipers?"

 _Oh…._

"Luckily," she retorted as she stepped out of the trees, tucking the ring into her pocked as she walked. "I am neither."

Gandalf seemed most pleased to see her. "Bella Baggins! I've never been so glad to see anyone in my life." The others looked happy, but bewildered, wanting to know how she escaped. "Well, what does it matter?" the Wizard demanded, though he gave her a thoughtful look. "She's back!"

"It matters!" Thorin insisted. "I want to know: **why** did you come back?"

Bella took a deep breath before focusing on Thorin. "Look, I know you doubt me, I know you always have." She dropped her gaze for a moment, not able to meet anyone's eyes during her next confession. "I wondered if you were right. I wondered if my presence made it worse, made it more likely that someone would get hurt." A murmur of protest rose from a couple of the Dwarves, but it died away as Bella continued, waving towards the mountain behind her. "This shows you can get yourselves into plenty of trouble without my help, and I'm through feeling torn." She let her eyes move over the group before returning to their leader. "You're right though – I miss my books and my armchair and my garden. Those meant home to me. And that's why I came back – because you don't have one. A home. It was taken from you." Her chin went up and her shoulders back. "But I will help you take it back if I can."

Emotions warred in Thorin's gaze and Bella forced herself to look at the other Dwarves to give him time to gather himself. Balin and Bofur both gave her proud looks while Dori and Bombur nodded at her, accepting her words. On the other hand, Glóin and Bifur exchanged a small bag that clinked as it traded hands. Glóin did not look happy, but Bifur chuckled. Fíli, Kíli, and Ori shifted their gazes between Bella and Thorin, as did Dwalin and Nori, but where the younger Dwarves seemed bewildered, the two older ones held calculating gazes. Their looks turned innocent as they met her own.

Bella frowned at them, not believing their innocuous expressions for a single instant.

"Let me see the lass," Óin demanded, pushing his way forward and ignoring the emotional drama. "She looks like she fell down the mountainside."

Howls cut through the air.

"Oh, no," Bella groaned, though her voice held a resigned acceptance.

Thorin scowled. "Out of the frying pan…"

"…and into the fire! Run!" Gandalf's shouts spurred everyone into motion.

One thought dominated all others in Bella's mind as she followed.

 _Here we go again._

They fled down the mountain as the sun lowered in the western sky. Wargs, their four legs propelling them across the landscape at great speed, caught up with the Company as darkness engulfed the world around them. The foremost Warg leapt at Bella, but she managed to duck behind a rock as its jaws snapped in the air over her head. She pulled her sword as the Warg landed in front of her. It turned and charged her, growling as it came on.

The creature impaled itself on her outstretched sword.

 _Not the way Dwalin would have preferred, but at least it's dead!_

She stared at it for a long moment, not paying much attention to the fight around her. The fight had not been her first, but it was the first time she had killed in battle. No other death – save that for food – could be laid at her feet. Would there be more? Who would she become?

"Up into the trees, all of you!" Gandalf's voice broke through her reverie. "Come on, climb! Bella, climb!"

A good shake pushed away the rest of her uncomfortable thoughts and she grabbed the hilt of her sword. The Valar-blessed thing would not come out of the Warg's head! She planted her foot on its head and pulled with all of her might.

"They're coming!" Thorin's voice cut through the night.

One last tug yanked the sword free. She looked up to find the Dwarves gone and the Wargs charging down the hill at her. Her eyes flashed open wide in fear. Terror propelled her up the nearest tree as the Wargs rushed beneath her. She kept climbing, wanting as much distance between her and those teeth as she could manage.

The noise level dropped and she looked up to see a huge white Warg approaching the clump of trees where the Dwarves clung like oddly-shaped birds. A pale Orc, scarred and massive, sat on its back.

"Azog."

The disbelief in Thorin's voice sent a shiver down her spine, but nothing like the one that rushed through her as the large Orc spoke in his foul tongue. She did not understand a word of it, but the tone held a taunt, something meant to sting its target.

And from the pain in Thorin's voice, it hit dead on. "It cannot be."

That pain cut through her, drawing tears to her eyes as if the taunt itself barbed in her skin and ripped away flesh.

More dark words flowed from the pale Orc's mouth and Wargs began to leap at the trees, scrabbling at the trunks and breaking branches with their teeth. The onslaught weakened the trees, sending them falling into each other until Bella, Gandalf, and all of the Dwarves found refuge in the last tree, the one growing at the very edge of the cliff.

Gandalf began throwing burning pinecones at the Wargs, dropping others for the Company to throw as well. They created a wide space between the tree and the pack. The Company cheered, but those cheers turned to cries of fear as their tree shook and began to give way. A few roots managed to hold firm, leaving the tree hanging straight out from the cliff face. Bella's heart lodged in her throat as she saw Ori's hands slip. He fell with a panicked shout, but managed to grab his brother's leg.

"Mister Gandalf!" Dori cried out as he lost his own hold on the tree.

Her fingers clenched on her own handhold as Gandalf thrust his staff down towards the older Dwarf. A frightened breath burst out of her as Dori sized the staff at the last moment.

Bella clung to the tree, muttering and mumbling to herself about Orcs and their possible antecedents. The tree, their last bastion of relative safety on the clifftop, creaked as it leaned over the edge. Ori held onto his brother's boot, eyes clinched shut to avoid looking at the drop below his feet. She could see Dori clinging to Gandalf's staff with a desperate strength and she flinched at the sheer panic reflected in the grip of his hands. Two lives – one the life of his adored baby brother – depended on the strength of his arms. Nori stared at both of his brothers, despair beginning to carve itself into his face.

"Thorin! No!"

Balin's shout brought her attention around in time to see Thorin striding down the trunk. Some days she could swear that idiot Dwarf possessed some kind of death wish! What did he think he was going to do against that pack of evil with a single sword – no matter how powerful – and a wooden shield?

Behind her, further along the tree, she heard Dwalin cursing and grunting. Then came the sound of a breaking branch and she closed her eyes, sending a quick thought to Yavanna that she would not hear the sound of a falling body. Her prayer was granted – for the moment at least. Dwalin all but screamed his fury at being unable to get up and go to the side of his friend and king.

Her heart clenched at the fear in that sound.

It hurt even more as she could hear Fíli and Kíli growing frantic. They would not only have to watch their king die before their eyes, but their uncle as well. "No," she whispered to herself. "No, this is not right." Her lighter weight, both in body and in not being weighed down by all of the armor and weaponry, worked in her favor. She managed to get a better grip on the wood. With a little more effort, she would be able to pull herself up and follow Thorin. Her gaze moved from one Dwarf to another. All of them, without fail, continued to fight and struggle in an attempt to survive. None of them showed one pinch of resignation or surrender. Her lips thinned as her spine stiffened.

" _My word is as serious as any oath to me."_

The words she spoke to Thorin in Rivendell came back to her. She promised to do whatever she could to help them take back their home. Had she not just made the same promise outside of the Goblin's mountain? Bella managed to hoist herself onto the trunk as the others continued to struggle and fight to pull themselves up so they could follow their king. She stood up and drew her sword out of its scabbard. The blue glow looked almost icy, as though the weapon recognized its foe and demanded the right to draw blood.

Hopefully it would get its chance before one of the Orcs killed her or one of the Wargs ate her.

Bella paused and drew in a deep breath. "Whatever it takes," she murmured before running down the trunk of the tree and casting herself at the Orc that was preparing to decapitate Thorin. She would keep her word – to her last breath, to her final strength. Whether it ended here by Orc and Warg or whether she had to cast herself into the dragon's maw – she would make the effort to fulfill her promise.

" _Whatever it takes."_

Much later, after their miraculous rescue by the Great Eagles, Bella watched Gandalf, holding her breath as he leaned over the unconscious Dwarf. One day, if they ever found the time, she would have to try and remember everything that happened on that fiery mountainside. For now the images blurred and mingled in her head. Killing an Orc, striking the white Warg, casting her defiance in the pale Orc's teeth… She could feel her knees weaken as she thought of it.

The Hobbit who ran out the door without her handkerchief would never return home.

Too much had changed…but she could find no regret in her heart for that.

"The Halfling?" Thorin's voice sounded soft, almost hesitant, but it wrenched her from her memories.

She missed Gandalf's answer as she rolled her eyes, muttering about the term 'Halfling'. Where did people come up with that term? She was 'half' of nothing! What could be so hard about remembering 'Hobbit'? Her attention focused as Thorin lurched to his feet and came towards her.

"You!" Thorin's voice sounded accusatory and she gaped at him. "What were you doing? You nearly got yourself killed!"

Anger began to snap in her eyes. She saved his life and this was his way of saying thank you? Did he want to die? If this was going to be his attitude about the whole thing, next time he could deal with the Orcs on his own. Her lips parted, a stinging retort on the tip of her tongue.

"Did I not say that you should never have come?" Thorin continued, talking over anything she might have said.

 _Now that was going much too far! Yes, he'd said exactly that, but surely…_

"I have never been so wrong in all my life."

Thorin pulled her to him in a massive hug and her thoughts scattered. The embrace warmed her, giving her a feeling of belonging – something she had been missing for years. His arms shook, but whether from his injuries or from a rush of emotion, she could not tell. She did not care. Her arms came around him to return the hug even as she heard the other Dwarves laughing and cheering behind him. A large weight seemed to roll off her shoulders.

She belonged.

She had a place among them.

For now, for her, that was enough.

Thorin's arms loosened and he pulled back. "I am sorry I doubted you." Contrition shown in his eyes.

"No," Bella insisted, almost before he finished speaking. "I would have doubted me too." She lifted her shoulders in a shrug. "I'm not a hero or a warrior…not even a burglar."

Smiles broke out amongst the company and then the Eagles began flying past before heading off somewhere. Everyone watched them go, but Bella soon grew distracted as Thorin stepped past her. She turned to see what he was doing only to realize his attention had been captured by something in the distance. Her eyes followed his gaze only to widen in surprise as her breath caught.

"Is that what I think it is?" she asked, voice soft with the breath of awe.

"Erebor, the Lonely Mountain," Gandalf replied when the Dwarves did not, perhaps could not. Their enraptured gazes focused on the distant mountain and not one opened their mouth. The Wizard continued. "The last of the great Dwarf kingdoms of Middle Earth."

"Our home," Thorin breathed out.

Bella stepped up beside him, listening as Óin pointed out a raven and Gandalf corrected him, informing him of the bird's true identity – a thrush. Thorin looked at her, amusement and euphoria lightening his face in a way she had never seen, not even in his rare moments of laughter. His lips curved into a real smile. "But we'll take it as a sign – a good omen."

"You're right," Bella returned the smile. "I do believe the worst is behind us." As the company stood around them, staring into the distance in a rare moment of silence, she glanced up at the Dwarf king. "No matter what though," she told him in a quiet voice, "I'm with you to the end." They shared a look, understanding and acceptance heavy in the air around them. Bella turned back to the mountain, her smile deepening as she realized she could see the end of their journey. Maybe she should start thinking about the dragon? Her shoulders shook with repressed laughter. Or maybe she could take a day to enjoy her…no, _their_ continued existence.

They could spare the time….right?


	10. Guardian of Yavanna

_Author's Note: It looks like this story will end up around 35-36 chapters unless something explodes on me and it goes longer. Here's hoping you guys stay on the ride that long!_

 **Guardian of Yavanna**

A couple of hours passed before Thorin called a halt, their leader at last believing them safe enough to pause and catch their breath. The earlier trip down the Carrock would give Bella some sleepless nights in the future, and the entire Company needed more sleep than they managed in the brief rest stop at the bottom. For now she kept track of the Dwarves, watching as Óin tried to get his king to sit down. Their healer wanted to look at his injuries, but Thorin would not cooperate.

"Take a sip of water, Mistress Baggins," Dori urged her, offering her a water skin. "I doubt we shall be stopping for long."

Bella accepted the water with a quick word of thanks. She glanced around, noting all of the others were within easy listening range. "If you please," she started, only to stop and blink in surprise as thirteen Dwarves and one Wizard focused on her with no further prompting. A light color dusted her cheeks, but she continued. "It seems a bit silly to keep up some of these formalities given the circumstances, so if you please, do feel free to call me Bella." Humor sparkled in her eyes. "If nothing else that must be simpler to shout when you need to call me to task over something."

The others chuckled, and Thorin gave her an approving nod, but it was Balin who spoke. "Thank you, lass," he replied as he reached out to pat her arm. "We'll do that – though you must agree to the same. Anyone so willing to take on the Pale Orc on our behalf has every right to use our names."

"Thank you," she murmured, ducking her head as the Dwarves nodded or muttered in agreement.

The Company broke into smaller groups as they tried to ascertain what supplies remained to them. Óin continued to make his way from one member to another in an attempt to catch up with any injuries he might have missed the night before. How he managed to do that while keeping one eye rotating between Thorin and herself, though, she could not quite work out. Balin spoke with Gandalf in voices too low for Bella to catch. For a moment she thought of moving closer to them, but then she noted Thorin and Dwalin moving towards the entrance of the small clearing and her curiosity prompted her to follow them instead. Her light footsteps made no impression on the two Dwarves, the sound hidden underneath the heavier steps of the males.

"We need to get a look around," Dwalin insisted, glaring up the path. "One of us will have to go up and see if they can spot anything."

"I know," Thorin nodded, his eyes moving over the Company. "Someone quiet."

"I'll go," Bella offered. The Dwarves started as she spoke; Dwalin going so far as to half unsheathe a knife. Thorin frowned, but she tilted her head before he could say anything. "I am the quietest person available," she pointed out, lips twitching in amusement. "And since you're expecting me to sneak up on a dragon, I would think this should be a better way to judge my sneaking ability before we reach your mountain."

Thorin's frown grew deeper at the reminder of her main mission in the Company's quest, but Dwalin began nodding before he could speak. "The lass is right," he told his king and friend. "None of us could be half as quiet as she is when she wants to be."

"Agreed," Thorin replied, anxiety and necessity warring in his voice. He focused on Bella. "Go, quiet and quick. We need to know if they have our trail."

"Don't worry," she said, her look steady and firm. "I'll be there and back again before you know it." Turning she moved up the path and into the shadows, glancing back once to see the entire Company watching her with concern. _So much for their supposed lack of attention._ Her heart lifted, warming at their concern, and that bolstered her courage. A handful of steps found her alone in the shadows, but she let no fear worm its way into her mind. No, this was no time for fear. Her Company, her….friends depended upon her.

She would not let them down.

Bella peered over the rocks, her eyes focusing on a nearby ridgeline. Snow glittered like a field of diamonds under the moonlight, but nothing could distract her from the pack of Wargs running over the top of it. Even against this backdrop, their leader managed to stand out. Azog turned his head as he scanned the landscape and Bella kept her head down, only remaining high enough to peer across the top of the stone. The Orcs continued and she started to turn so she could slide down off the rock. Snarling caused her to freeze.

 _What was that?!_

She crept to the edge of the rock and peeked around it. Another pile of rocks stood there, outlined by the moon. A bear, the largest bear she had ever seen, stood there, growling and grumbling as it watched the Orcs. _Time to be moving along, Belladonna!_ Sneaking seemed to be turning into a habit for her, but better to be sneaky than to be dinner. A great roaring erupted behind her, hurrying her steps.

Moments later she slipped down the small path into the Company's hiding spot.

"How close is the pack?" Dwalin demanded, his eyes scanning the space behind her.

"Too close," she replied, not taking any insult from his directness. Direct and unsubtle – that was Dwalin. "A couple of leagues, no more." Her gaze flew from him to Thorin and Gandalf. "But that's not the worst of it."

"Have the Wargs picked up our scent?" the tall Dwarf continued, not giving anyone else any time to question her.

"Not yet, but they will." Bella shook her head. "We have another problem."

"Did they see you?" Gandalf frowned, interrupting her. "They saw you!"

"No, that's not it," she tried again…to no avail.

"What did I tell you?" the Wizard noted in a smug voice. "Quiet as a mouse. Excellent burglar material."

Frustration began to build up in her. "Will you listen-?" Most of the Company murmured and chuckled in agreement with Gandalf, pleased looks on their faces. Bella did her best not to roll her eyes. "Will you just listen?" she insisted. This time her exasperated tone of voice made them all stop and stare. "I'm trying to tell you – there is _something else_ out there!"

Now they looked worried and she began to turn towards Thorin. "What form did it take?" Gandalf asked. "Like a bear?"

"Ye-." She stopped mid-turn to stare at him, sensing rather than seeing most of the Company do the same. "Y-yes, but bigger. Much bigger."

"You knew about this beast?" Bofur challenged, but Gandalf turned and paced the other way. The Dwarf looked at the Company. "I say we double back."

"And be run down by a pack of Orcs," Thorin reminded him.

"There is a house," the Wizard announced. "It's not far from here, where we might find refuge."

"Whose house?" Thorin's question came out almost on a sigh. "Are they friend or foe?"

Bella felt a new trickle of fear begin to gather strength as an indefinable look passed through Gandalf's eyes. "Neither," he replied, though his gazed turned calculating as he rested it on Bella. "He will help us…or he will kill us."

"What choice do we have?"

A roar split the night air.

Gandalf lifted a brow. "None."

 _Running,_ Bella thought. _More running._ A good portion of this adventure circled on running – run after the Dwarves, run from this threat, run from that threat….run **into** danger. Yes, quite a bit of running in this adventure… Granted, she could honestly say she never expected to be running from a giant **bear** , but be that as it may, running and life-threatening encounters made up a good portion of her life lately.

Her mother's stories had never been quite like this.

The Company all but collapsed with relief as they managed to shut the unhappy bear outside, but Bella frowned as she heard Gandalf's muttered "I hope" in regards to their safety. Something about this entire situation made the Wizard nervous and that prospect did not feel her will glee.

Then came the next morning…

Bella woke and realized she alone remained wrapped in blankets. It took her a few moments, but she managed to wrestle herself free. She brushed herself off, wishing she could take a good soaking bath, and followed the sound of murmuring voices. One hand attempted to bring her hair into order as she stood at the back of the Company, listening to them mutter and argue over what to do about the as yet unseen figure they could hear working outside. Thorin and his nephews noticed her and made room for her to join them.

"Ah, Bella," Gandalf smiled. "Good, good, come along, Mistress Baggins. You and I shall approach our host first. The rest of you wait for my signal and then come out two at a time. We don't wish to crowd him or upset him. That would end very badly." The Wizard frowned. "The last person to startle him was torn to shreds."

"Oh this plan sounds familiar," Bella murmured even as she made her way towards the door.

Thorin frowned, but Gandalf ignored the comment and began to usher her out of the house. They made their way towards the tall, _tall_ person chopping wood a little ways away from the door. Bella ducked behind the Wizard as he greeted the one he called Beorn. When the great fellow did not seem in any hurry to start tearing people apart, she poked her head around to get a better look. His eyes locked onto her and something flickered deep within them – a recognition, maybe? She could not be quite sure, but his tense frame softened by the tiniest of margins. Though that might have been a trick of her imagination considering how stiff he became as the Dwarves began to appear.

Did nobody like or trust people beyond their own kind?

She repressed a wince. That thought had been unfair, she knew. Many histories existed detailing alliances and friendships between peoples, but she began to wonder how much might be an exaggeration or a romantic notion imposed on the past by people in need of heroes and hope. So far on her adventure, she had seen too much suspicion and the littlest of trust between the supposed free peoples. Yes, even her own people in the Shire looked sideways at outsiders – even of the Rangers who helped patrol the borders.

No wonder Darkness could grow so fast when it surged – it needed so little effort to divide people as they did that all on their own.

"For her," Beorn nodded at Bella, making up his mind in a rather abrupt manner. "For Yavanna's daughter…you may stay."

The Dwarves looked at her, but she could only lift her shoulders in a confused shrug. Beorn appeared to ignore the byplay, leading them back into his home. Breads, fruits, and cheeses began to overflow the table. Unlike their previous such reception, not one of the Dwarves complained about the lack of meat. From her place at one end of the room, they looked like a bunch of younglings gathered around the adult table. She sat in Beorn's chair, and though she tried to protest, he would not move her. Indeed, he seemed to take on an almost paternal protection of the Hobbit, watching the interactions between her and the Dwarves with careful eyes. Hungry or not, Bella gave extra attention to the entire situation for one particular reason.

The Wizard looked quite smug.

Gandalf knew more than he would tell – and that should be of interest to all of them.

Not that he looked to be any mood to share right now, but perhaps that might be due to Beorn's presence and their own exhaustion. The skin-changer agreed to let them remain for a day or two to gather their strength and restock their supplies. He only gave them one warning: they must never leave the house after nightfall. No one argued. One near encounter with the bear had been enough for all of them.

And they needed the rest.

They spent a total of three days at Beorn's, taking the opportunity to rest and restock in safety. The skin-changer scattered the Orcs to give the Company time, though he warned them it would not be long before greater numbers reassembled. No one could determine Beorn's precise interest in the Company's Hobbit, but Balin offered the opinion it was because they both gave honor to Yavanna – Bella to her as the giver of fruits and Beorn as the guardian of animals. That idea worked as well as any other.

Near the end of their third day, Bella sat on the step and leaned back against one of the wooden posts, watching as the Dwarves worked around her. They worked on weapons, supplies, and future plans as they intend to leave in the morning. Her eyes moved to the three Dwarves closest to her. Dori sat on a bench behind her, his hands busy repairing various articles of clothes. The second brother, Nori, sat on the bottom step in front of her. He spent his time going over each length of rope and every piece of leather as he checked for weak points. Ori sat to her right and wrote in his journal, creating quick sketches and making notes on their journey. Conversation flowed between the three brothers, drifting around her much like a warm blanket.

"Bella?" Ori ventured.

"Hmm?" She looked at him, head tilting in question.

"Would you tell me how you escaped from the goblins?"

She blinked and then sighed. "For your chronicles?" He nodded and she sat up. Her mother would find a way to haunt her, even from Yavanna's side, if she did not help make sure Ori's journal held a full and complete record of what happened. "Very well."

"Wait," Dori interrupted. "The others will want to hear this if you don't mind us calling them over, Bella." She gave him a slow nod, not sure anyone would want to hear it but unwilling to argue the point. He called out to the other and, once everyone looked his way, he informed them: "Bella's going to tell of her escape from the mountains."

To her surprise, all of the Dwarves picked up their work and moved closer. They intended to keep working, but it appeared their curiosity ran deeper than she expected. "Right, then," she cleared her throat. "I landed in that odd bowl shaped cage with the rest of you, but for some reason the goblins didn't seem to notice me. They grabbed at you lot, but they pushed past me as if I wasn't there."

Her story developed from that point as she discussed her tumble down the mountain and blacking out before landing. Óin grumbled about stubborn Hobbits and hiding injuries, but his brother hushed him so she could continue. The scratching of Ori's quill provided a strange background music to her tale. Her words wove together to create the story of meeting Gollum, the small mad creature at a hidden pool, and agreeing to a riddle game – and that her life would be forfeit if she lost.

" _ **You what?!"**_

The collective shout caused her to jump, eyes flaring wide as she stared at the angry faces around her. Thorin, Fíli, and Kíli glared at her while Balin shook his head. Bofur and Bombur gaped, though Bifur smiled – but then his thoughts often wandered down strange paths. Óin nudged his brother as if trying to verify the accuracy of his hearing and Glóin rubbed one hand over his face. Nori looked exasperated and Dori's expression had turned thunderous. Ori even dropped his quill. "Well," she stammered, holding out her hands "what else was I supposed to do?"

"Killing him comes to mind," Dwalin told her, a heavy frown knotting his brow as his eyes went to her sword in a pointed way.

"Which would still have left me lost in a cavern under a mountain full of goblins," she pointed out. Gandalf shook his head, amusement playing around the corners of his mouth despite the somber look in his eyes. Mutters surrounded her, but she ignored the Dwarves and continued with her tale. Ori began taking notes once more as she went through each riddle, including the final question which she admitted did not really qualify as a riddle.

Glóin scoffed. "It doesn't qualify at all, lass, but if the creature accepted it, then he owed you an answer."

Bella smiled as the others nodded. Then she paused – did she mention the ring? Something in her recoiled at the idea, but the truth demanded she tell it. She wrestled with the idea, arguing within her own mind. Silence fell and she looked around to find the company staring at her, waiting for her to tell them about her escape. She took a deep breath, clenching her fists, and used the image of her mother's disappointed face as a motivation to tell the truth.

"Gollum didn't plan to keep his word," she told them. "He went to find something and I knew I had to escape." She continued with an explanation of her fall and how a ring she'd found earlier slipped onto her finger. When Gollum came rushing around, he could not see her. The story concluded with her following him to the exit and sparing his life before she ran after the company who she'd seen pass Gollum's hiding spot.

Her words drew looks of confusion and amazement from most of her listeners, but two faces showed something else. Gandalf and Thorin both stared at her with clear concern.

"Do be careful of that ring, Bella," Gandalf spoke before anyone else could say a word. She frowned at him and he sighed. "There are many magical rings in this world and none of them are to be used lightly."

Bella gave him a long look but then she nodded. "I'll be careful."

"Give me your word," Thorin requested. She opened her mouth to argue, but he shook his head. "I want your word that you will not use the ring unless you see no other choice."

"Oh, fine," she huffed. "I give you my word I will only use the ring if absolutely necessary." Something in her clicked into place and the discomfort she felt in discussing the ring disappeared. She wondered at that, but unwilling to draw yet more attention to it, she turned to Ori. "Did you get the notes you needed?"

The young Dwarf smiled and nodded with enthusiasm. "Thank you, Bella."

"You're welcome," she patted his shoulder. "And that's enough of a story from me. Someone tell me how you all managed to escape." Groans answered her demand, but Bella ignored them when Balin began to tell their side of the story.


	11. Children of Yavanna

_Author's Note: Thank you to all of my reviewers. I've read each & every one. Double thank yous to shadewatcher, TheaDreams, & Just4Me for being such regular and uplifting reviewers. I can only hope I continue to live up to your expectations. This one gets a little spiritual, but it is necessary to set up something that will happen in the future._

 **Children of Yavanna**

 _Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk, agh burzum-ishi krimpatul._

The sibilant whisper slipped through the darkness.

Bella stood in a circle of light, a beautiful garden patch surrounded by a protective wall of stone. Beyond the wall she could hear the sounds of chaos, wild laughter interspersed with screams of pain. Here, however, in the garden, she felt only peace – all things living in nature's order, a world of bountiful harvest for the sharing. Though the stone wall held carvings of weapons – swords, spears, axes, and bows, she felt no threat. Those weapons shielded her; they guarded her place against the threat of the chaos outside.

 _Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk, agh burzum-ishi krimpatul._

Again the whisper, that quiet threat alarming her more than the boom of thunder…or even the howls she could distinguish in the cacophony outside. The whisper crept in to her garden, sliding over the wall and edging around the weapons. She could see it – a slender thread of red-brown like dried blood and smelling of rust. It slithered closer. She tried to move away, but her feet refused to move fast enough. The thread looped itself around her wrist, clinging as she tried to pull away. With that accomplished, it began to withdraw and tried to pull her along with it.

"No!" Bella dug in her heels, refusing to go. The pull grew stronger as the whisper deepened.

 _Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk, agh burzum-ishi krimpatul._

"Yavanna, help me!"

Vines shot up from the earth, lit from within by the healthy green of growing things. They wrapped around her waist, offering her support and strength to resist the pull of the thread. A child's game came to her mind – a game where two people pulled on a rope, each attempting to pull the other across some type of boundary. She felt like that rope…but which side would win? As her doubt crept in, the thread pulled her forward a step or two.

"No!" Bella stiffened her resolve and pulled back.

The carved weapons caught her attention. Carved? No…with the light of the vine she could now see them glitter against the stone. Each weapon was inlaid into the stone – in silver, gold, and some other metal she could not name. Metal… Stone…

"Aulë…Mahal, aid me!"

Rich red flames, a vibrant living red that put to shame the dull red in the thread, flared around her, but she did not burn. Nor did the vines. Indeed, the vines seemed to gain power and the warmth of the fire comforted her. The thread grew thinner, still there, but no longer pulling on her. The whisper had disappeared. Colors became brilliant once more and the stone wall appeared as strong as ever – save for one small crack where the thread crossed into this place of light, peace, and order. Bella eyed that spot and saw the crack grow. Just a hair and not all that noticeable, but grow it did. Something about the thread, the power behind it maybe, but something could not be affected by all the power of Yavanna and Mahal. She could feel the regret in the powers trying to protect and strengthen her.

The Hobbit took a deep breath and walked towards the small blemish in the stonework. Flames outlined her hands as she placed them on the wall, one on either side of the crack. The vines tightened around her to hold her steady. Power washed over her and she lifted her chin. "You will not have me," she announced, determination a cord of steel in her voice. The inlaid weapons gleamed. "And you cannot have them," she continued as she realized who the weapons must represent.

The thread pulsed and for a moment she could hear the whisper start up once more.

 _Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk, agh burzum-ishi krimpatul._

"No."

This time the word came out with a calm deliberation. "I am not yours."

The scent of fresh tilled earth circled around her as she heard the sound of a hammer striking an anvil. An eagle's cry brought her eyes up to see the stars glittering in the night's sky, with Gil-Estel gleaming brightest in the west. She could hear water raging nearby as thunder echoed from somewhere behind her. Feelings of deep sorrow welled up in her, but they seemed to fit the place in some strange way. Perhaps because they seemed to be feelings of pity, sorrow over those lost in the chaos beyond. The circle of life wove through her, giving her the strength to face down this thing that sought to impose its will upon her.

"In Eru's name, I defy you."

White light emanated from the heart of the garden…and the thread flinched. It did not disappear, nor did it release her, and she knew she would face this battle again, maybe more than once, but for now she felt strong and at peace. The white light blocked the crack from growing any further while the lesser powers continued to support her. For now, it was enough. A pulse from the white heart in the garden drew her attention and her own heart yearned towards the deep love she could feel pouring from that light.

 _ **I am proud of you, my daughter.**_

She jumped at the deep masculine voice, opening her eyes to find herself staring at the ceiling in Beorn's home.

 _What was that? That last voice… Eru? Could it have been…?_

Words failed her, even mental ones. Bella sat up and glanced around. Most of the Company still slumbered, their snores and sleepy grumbling a familiar comfort after the oddest dream she could ever remember having in her entire life. As she continued her scan of the room, she spotted Thorin watching her from near the fireplace, concern and curiosity clear in his expression. She managed to pull herself free of her blankets without too much noise and moved on silent feet towards the dim glow of the embers.

"Nightmare?" Thorin kept his voice low.

Bella opened her mouth to agree, but closed it in consternation. Bewilderment rolled through her and she could only spread her hands to indicate her uncertainty. "Maybe?" Then she shook her head. "More odd than frightening, I think."

He scratched the side of his chin as he examined her. "Would it help to share?"

"Shall we trade?" she offered. "I shall tell you what dreams wake me at this silly hour of the morning and you tell me what keeps you awake?"

"Agreed," he nodded.

So she told him, explaining the dream and her confusion over what it might mean. A quiet hush fell over the room as she finished. Bella could not think of anything further to say and she thought he might be in the same state. His eyes rested on her in contemplation.

"Your turn," she announced, breaking the silence. "What is bothering you?"

"The next leg of our journey," he replied, though his eyes remained thoughtful as he considered her. "Trolls and giants and Goblins aside, we have the greatest dangers and difficulties before us now."

"I confess to being worried about the woods to come," she admitted. "Our host seemed most uneasy at the thought of them – and anything which could unnerve a person of his size and…abilities seems to me to be something that should concern us."

A hint of reluctance entered his face. "You do not need to continue-," he began.

"I should have brought an umbrella," she muttered, interrupting as she fixed a disbelieving stare on him. "Or a good walking stick. I shall need it if you are going to start being thick-headed once more."

"Ah, yes," he nodded. "The promise you made me in Rivendell – to hit me over the head should I start acting out."

Two soft snickers interrupted her thoughts and she lifted an eyebrow at him. "Excuse me a moment?" When he nodded, she turned and made her way over to where Fíli and Kíli lay pretending to sleep. "Oh, no, you two don't," she informed them in a whisper. "If you cannot pretend better than that, then you move yourselves across the room so **we** can pretend not to know you are eavesdropping on a private conversation." They blinked up at her and she glared back, hands on her hips as if daring them to argue. Their eyes moved beyond her to their uncle, but she did not look back. "Well?"

"Yes, Bella," Fíli nodded, climbing to his feet and pulling his brother up after him.

As they made their way towards the back wall, she would swear she could hear Kíli muttering, "Shouldn't we just call her 'Aunt Bella' now and be done with it?"

Though perhaps she misheard.

"Most of the others are probably listening," Thorin commented, his lips twitching with amusement. A real smile, small but there, curved them as a snore greeted his words. More snores drifted from various corners as if in answer. "Or all of the others?"

"Quite likely," Bella agreed as she lifted a hand to cover her mouth to repress the giggle that wanted to escape. Once she had that under control, she let the hand fall back to her lap and shrugged. "And yet there is something to be said about the manners of not being obvious in one's eavesdropping. They should work on their acting."

"True enough," he allowed. He leaned against the hearth as best he could given its oversized nature. "Though subtlety…" His voice trailed off.

"Not a typical Dwarven characteristic?" She sat on a cushion before the banked fire, soaking in some of its warmth. "I cannot say it is much of Hobbit one either," she admitted with a wry smile. "Though we do try in the way of manners to at least pretend."

"And it is something we shall need when Erebor grows strong once more." His gaze grew distant. "I haven't thought on it much, the time _after_ we finish our quest." A different sort of somberness entered his face as he shook his head. "How very much we have lost in the years between our exile and now…I only considered the loss of our home and many of our skills…not the smaller, but vital parts of living and ruling and-."

"Hope for the future," she advised him, interrupting the words before he could fall deeper into his shadows. "Dream for it, certainly, but don't worry for it yet."

"And planning?"

"If you like." She scrunched up her nose for a moment. "Just do not worry over it like a dog with a single bone. You cannot change yesterday and tomorrow isn't here yet. Besides – today generally has enough worries of its own without borrowing from the future. If you do that, you'll flood yourself and not get anything done." Now she offered him a supportive smile. "Stick with the basics for tomorrow – such as worrying about Mirkwood. Beyond that will have to wait."

"What do you dream of for the future?" he asked, the question a trifle rushed as if he wanted to get it out before he changed his mind about asking.

Her head tilted as she blinked at him. That was not a topic she considered often – life in the Shire drifted like a summer afternoon. Few Hobbits made grander plans than their choice of marriage partner. They tended to live in the moment and not focus too much on grand notions for some future time. Well, most of them did – one could never count the Tooks in 'most' of anything. "My future?" she repeated, a thoughtful consideration in her voice. "To be happy." She ducked her head a bit. "Not the grandest of futures, I suppose, but I don't need grandness really. I've no desire for great wealth or fame or whatever else some might wish for." Bringing her legs up to her chest, she wrapped her arms around her shins and then rested her chin atop her knees. "I want to be happy – to be somewhere I consider home and to be surrounded by people I consider family and friends." Her eyes locked to his. "That's all."

Thorin crouched down, putting himself almost on eye level with her. Something warm and approving moved in his gaze. "The world would doubtless be a merrier place if more people thought as you do." His rare smile appeared once more, giving him a much younger appearance and the resemblance to Kíli became almost uncanny. "So you dream of a return to your Bag End home when we finish?"

"I did not say it had to be Bag End." His eyebrows went up and Bella felt a warm flush of colors flood up her neck and into her cheeks. "Well, not necessarily anyway, and it…I didn't…I mean…" She could not come up with a way to save that sentence, so she just forced herself to stop talking.

"You should get some sleep, Mistress Baggins," he chuckled, though he refrained from teasing her any further. "We will be leaving come morning."

"Bella," she corrected even as she rose to make her way back to her sleeping pallet. Her lips twitched as she realized how close the boys now lay to her own space. Her rest would be well guarded it seemed – between Fíli and Kíli on one side and Dori, Nori, and Ori on the other. "King or no king, I plan to keep using your given name now, so you might as well use mine."

Now muffled snorts came from more than one pallet and she rolled her eyes at him, offering a shared camaraderie in acknowledging themselves surrounded by children.

Gratitude filled his countenance, but he restrained himself to a simple, "Sleep well, Bella."

Bella wandered through the garden in the morning sunlight as the Dwarves prepared the ponies. They would be leaving soon and she wanted to get a little more time of peace before they left. Energy from the earth vibrated through her as her feet touched the tilled dirt.

"Why do you go with them?"

She started, opening her eyes to find Beorn standing at the corner of his home where he could watch both her and the Dwarves. "I'm sorry?"

"The Dwarves," he glanced away before focusing those deep eyes on her once more. "I know why they go where they go, but why does a daughter of Yavanna, a child of the fruiting earth, go to a mountain? Under rock and stone is no place for one such as you." His head tilted down. "Why do you go with them?"

"Are mountains not of the earth?" she returned, a tender smile slipping over her face as she brushed a hand over a flowering bush.

"The mountains are but bones," the skin-changer answered. "They are not things which grow."

"And yet life grows on them," she pointed out. "And even within them."

"This I will grant you," he nodded. "But why do you go? Their life is not yours."

"Isn't it?" Bella fixed her gaze on him. This thought bothered her as it had before, the division between peoples. "They have no home. Should I have remained safe in mine knowing they wandered without theirs?"

"Their own greed brought the loss of their home," he noted.

"They should not bear the burdens of their fathers' mistakes." While she understood each generation might have to reap the consequences of that which the previous one sowed, that did not mean they should also shoulder the blame. "They deserve to have a home, a place to belong as the Hobbits belong in the Shire."

He dipped his head in a nod of acceptance. "You are determined to aid them then."

"Yes."

"I must speak with the Gray Wizard," Beorn sighed. He reached out and placed a large hand on her head. "Yavanna's blessing go with you, daughter of the earth."

"And with you, son of the forest."

A pleased smile lit his face before he nodded and turned away, already falling back into his somber mien. She picked her way across the grass to join her Company as they finalized their preparations and began mounting the ponies.

Balin smiled at her in greeting. "Let me help you, my lady," he offered before giving her a hand into the saddle.

"Bella," she corrected, puzzlement knitting her brow.

He gave her a congenial smile. "As you say."

Thorin gave his advisor a sharp glance, which Balin seemed to ignore as he turned to talk to Ori. The Dwarf king lifted a brow in her direction and she returned a small shake of her head. Bella had no idea what might have prompted such a greeting from the elder Dwarf. Confusion flickered in Thorin's eyes, but he nodded at her before turning to look for Gandalf.

"Gandalf!" he called out. "Time is wasting."

Bella glanced back as the Company rode away, raising her hand in both farewell and blessing to the skin-changer as he watched them go. He returned her acknowledgment and a small ember of joy fluttered in her heart. This encounter with another of the Green Lady's people raised her spirits as even the visit in Rivendell had not quite managed. The timing and placement of the meeting reassured her of Yavanna's blessing on this journey. No matter how this story culminated, Bella could feel comforted in knowing she had made the right choice.


	12. Not the Greenwood

_Author's Note: This is a little on the short side of my average, but it's more of a point a to point b kind of chapter. The next chapter will (hopefully) make up for it. Plus, there was no way on God's green earth - or Tolkien's Middle Earth - that I would spend more time on the spiders than this. I shuddered during the entire section. I can't even watch that part of the movie! (Or a part of LotR or a part of HP: CoS - arachnophobia...ICK!)_

 **Not the Greenwood**

The ride to Mirkwood took less time than Bella expected, but her time sense might have gotten skewed by all the walking and running the Company had done on its journey thus far. She stared at the tangle of trees before them, the edge of it stretching to the north and to the south as far as she could see. Shadow and death clung to its branches. Her heart shrunk from the thought of entering such a place and every inch of her trembled for they had no choice.

" _Zûr asti_?"

She jumped at the sudden voice, whirling to find Bifur tilting his head almost to his shoulder as wide eyes stared at her. "Bifur." A tremulous smile tried to settle on her lips. "You startled me." He did not reply, but merely tilted his head the opposite direction. "I'm sorry," she offered, "but I'm not sure what you asked."

"He asked how you were." Bombur stepped up beside them.

"Ah," she nodded, understanding dawning on her. He must have seen her reacting to the forest. "I'm alright." When both of them gave her disbelieving looks, she managed a small chuckle. "I'm as fine as one can be when planning to enter a place like this?"

They nodded at her offered correction. Bifur muttered something she could not quite hear and gestured with his hands. His cousin shook his head. "He doesn't like it either," Bombur translated. "The feel of it reminds him of Moria." Bifur nodded and then shook his head. A painful grimace twisted his features and he rubbed his head.

"That's when he was…hurt?" She remembered the story of the battle, but they had not discussed those who were wounded…nor how they received such wounds.

"Not my horse!" Gandalf shouted, interrupting anything the cousins might have said. He strode back towards the gaping Company. "I need it!"

Bella felt her mouth drop open in shock. "You're not leaving us?"

"I would not do this unless I had to," the Wizard replied, looking from Thorin to Bella. "You have changed, Bella Baggins. You are not the same Hobbit as the one who left the Shire." Her fear increased as he turned away from her to approach Thorin. "I will be waiting for you at the overlook, before the slopes of Erebor." His lips thinned as he gave a hard gaze to the Dwarf king. "Do not enter that mountain without me."

The Company gathered behind Thorin, their faces a mix of disbelief, gloom, and stoic acceptance.

"This is not the Greenwood of old," Gandalf added as he took his horse's reins. "There is a stream in the woods that carries a dark enchantment. Do not touch the water and cross only by the stone bridge. The very air of the forest is heavy with illusion. It will seek to enter your mind and lead you astray."

"Lead us astray?" Bella turned to Dwalin. "What does that mean?" He shook his head in reply.

"You must stay on the path!" The Wizard ordered them as he mounted the horse. "Do not leave it! If you do, you will never find it again." He rode off in a southern direction, shouting back over his shoulder one last warning. "No matter what may come, stay on the path!"

"Come on," Thorin insisted. "We must reach the mountain before the sun sets on Durin's Day."

The Company followed him into the gloom of the forest, but Bella spared one more glance towards the south. An unhappy pattern unfolded itself in her mind as she considered the other times the Company had separated from the Wizard. First the trolls when he and Thorin quarreled and then the giants and the Goblins when they needed to avoid any well-intentioned delay from the Elves. The idea of separating from him in this place bothered her. She felt another shiver run down her spine.

"Bella?"

Nori waited for her and she offered a wan smile. "I don't like this place," she admitted.

"None of us do." The star-haired Dwarf stayed at her side as they caught up with the others. She could not quite figure out how he managed it later, but she found herself with Ori as his older brothers bracketed them with Nori in front and Dori behind. A smile almost came out at the thought of the two playing big brothers for her, but the forest sapped that as they walked deeper.

The air grew heavy, stifling even, and Bella wanted nothing more than to run back down the path into the sunlight. How long had they been walking in this accursed place? She lost track of time. It all seemed the same – one moment to the next, one tree to the next. Had they passed those rocks before? They looked familiar. Her feet stumbled as she tried to turn to see where everyone stood and whether or not anyone else felt lost. Something in this place pulled at her, urged her to sit down and rest.

She gave herself a shake. "No," she murmured. "It's sick…not a place for resting…"

"This way," Dwalin announced and the Company moved in the indicated direction.

Trees…trees…more trees. She never thought she would see the days she hated trees, but these felt like they were closing in, looming over them and trying to direct them in some way. It made the whole trip more disorienting than ever.

"Air," Bofur moaned. "I need air."

Next to her, Ori stumbled. "My head…it's spinning."

Then the Company…stopped. She frowned towards the front of the line. They should not be stopping; who wanted to spend more time in this place?

"The path!"

"It's disappeared!"

She could not make out who shouted what, but it hardly mattered. They lost the path. Fear roiled through her as she watched the others cast about in searched of it.

"What hour is it?" Thorin demanded.

"I don't know," Dwalin scowled. "I don't even know what day it is."

Thorin's eyes scanned the Company, pausing on his nephews and then on her. She blinked back at him, feeling heavy-hearted and almost swaying a bit. Something she thought might be concern shimmered in his gaze for a moment before disappearing as he turned a dark glare on the woods. "Is there no end to this accursed place?"

Bella looked around and then a thought occurred to her. She looked up. High above their heads, she could see a spot of sunshine as it fought its way through the arching tree limbs. The sun," she noted before glancing back to the Company. They had begun to fight, pushing each other around. "We have to find the sun," she tried again, pointing towards the patch. "Up there!" Her eyes traveled upwards again. "We need to-."

"What?" Thorin muttered. "What's that?" The Dwarves kept arguing and their leader turned to look at them. "Enough!" he shouted. "Quiet, all of you! We're being watched."

Bella ignored the whole lot of them and began to climb. They needed the sun – so she would go and find it. Her head broke through the leaves into the open air. Sweet air rushed into her lungs for the first time since they stepped through the gate and onto the path. Blue butterflies twirled around her and laughter bubbled up in her throat. The joy broke free when she spotted the mountain.

"I see a lake!" she called down to the Company. "And a river. Oh, and the mountain! We're almost there!"

No one replied.

"Hello?" she shouted again. "Can you hear me? I know which way to go!" Peering down through the tangled branches, she tried to see the Dwarves. A strange noise in the distance drew her eyes back up along the top of the forest. Trees began to move in an odd fashion, like someone or something moved through them towards her…and the Company. She bit her lip. "Oh, dear."

Now she ducked below the leaves and climbed down a few branches, drawing her sword, but holding it tight against her leg to keep it from tripping her. She still could not see any of the others. Another step and she felt her foot catch on something. A cry tore loose as she fell, knocking into several branches before she managed to catch one. In front of her she noticed a large web and a sinking feeling began to grow in her belly. How had she missed that on the way up? The milky white material began to part and her eyes flew wide with fear and horror as it revealed a giant spider.

The creature hissed at her, fangs dripping with poison.

Bella screamed, losing her grip on the branch and falling once more. She landed on something soft, but sticky and terror grew as she realized her new predicament. Nothing she did allowed her to escape the web and the spider wrapped her up. Everything went black.

Sometime later – how long, she could not be sure – Bella awoke to see a spider coming towards her with its jaws open. She managed to bring her sword up through the cocoon and into the creature's gut. Fear and the desire to will boiled up inside of her and she found the strength to cast it over the edge of the branch she had been lying on. Now she fought free of the sticky threads. A quick scan of the area revealed the Dwarves wrapped up and hanging from the branches above her. Hearing movement from must be yet more spiders, she ducked around the tree trunk.

 _Surely this qualifies as having no other choice?_ The thought came to her and she pulled out the ring. The golden circle slipped onto her finger without any trouble and the woods became even gloomier than before.

"Kill them," came a hissing sort of voice.

"Eat them now," said another.

"Their hide is tough." A third voice entered the mix. "There is good juice inside."

 _Oh, Yavanna._ Bella felt nauseous as she realized she could understand the speech of the creatures as they discussed eating her Dwarves. She glared down at the ring on her hand. Where did this thing come from that she could understand such things when wearing it?

Another hissing voice interrupted her thoughts. "The meat's alive and kicking!"

"Kill them," advised another. "Kill them now. Let us feast."

Bella stole along the branch towards the group, ducking as one crawled by above her. She picked up a piece of wood and threw it as far as she could. Most of the creatures scuttled off, chirping and shouting about a feast, but one remained and hovered over a trapped Dwarf – Bombur from the size of it.

"Fat and juicy," it hissed. "Just a little taste."

She came up behind it and struck it with her sword. The spider spun around, hissing and seeking for her. Her sword flashed and sliced as it grew desperate.

"Curses!" it screamed. "Where is it? Where is it?"

Fury and pride getting the better of her, she pulled off her ring and gave a sharp-edged smile. "Here." It rushed at her and she thrust her sword directly into its head.

"It stings!" the creature cried out. "It stings!" As the sword came out, the spider fell to the floor dead.

"Sting," Bella repeated in a thoughtful tone. "That's a good name." She looked back to the Dwarves. "Sting." Using her newly christened sword, she began cutting the Company down. Relief poured through her veins as she heard them begin to tear themselves free. When the last one fell, she began to make her way down the tree towards them.

"Where's Bella?" Bofur demanded, turning in a circle. "I heard her!"

Dwalin pulled out his axe. "Bella!" His voice thundered through the wood.

"Yes, yes," she called down. "I'm here. I'm coming. Don't draw the rest back!"

Then a spider jumped from beneath her and she only just managed to get Sting up to stab it. They both fell, crashing to the ground and she felt the ring slide off her finger. Her eyes tracked the small bit of gold as it flew through the air and landed on the forest floor. Part of her wanted to leave it there, to turn and walk away, but another part of her refused. She stumbled towards it, ignoring the nearby battle. There was a different battle going on inside of her – to pick up the hated item or to let it rot with the rest of the world around it.

A smaller spider came rushing out of the trees at her, pushing aside the ring as it moved.

Dark emotion erupted within her. She charged at the creature, hacking at it with her sword until it stopped moving. A snarl formed on her mouth as she snatched up the ring. Holding it up, she showed it to the dead spider.

"Mine!"

Her eyes focused on the ring, examining it for any damage. Unease began to creep through her as the anger began to fade and she stared down at the evidence of carnage around her. "What am I doing?" she whispered. "What is wrong with me?" A noise in the nearby trees drew her attention and she slipped on the ring without noticing.

The Dwarves vanished into the forest, but she can hear the sound of battle. Following the noise, she arrived in time to see Elves appear and surround her Company, weapons drawn and pointed at the Dwarves instead of the spiders.

"Help!"

 _Kíli!_

Fíli cried out his brother's name as she turned, sword drawn and ready to jump to the young Dwarf's aid. Then a red-headed Elf arrived and killed the spider trying to steal away with its prize. The few remaining spiders scuttled off and the Elves turned their full attention on the Dwarves. Bella could feel the unhappy scowl etching its way across her face as they searched her companions, taking their weapons and various belongings. Her hands clenched – one around Sting and the other into a fist – as she heard the disdain passing between Elf and Dwarf. Her temper sparked even higher as the blond one insulted Glóin's family when he took the red-haired Dwarf's locket.

 _This is ridiculous! Arresting people for traveling through a forest and battling the dark things that have begun to take over? They should say thank you!_

As Bella slipped along behind them, she remembered Beorn's words of warning: _"The Wood Elves of Mirkwood are not like their kin. They're less wise and more dangerous."_ Bella knew in her heart of hearts that their quest was the right thing to do. So why did it feel like every possible adversary had to step between the Company and the mountain? Was a dragon not enough of a problem? She stepped into the gate, pausing to take a deep breath as she heard it close behind her.

 _Courage, Bella,_ she thought to herself as she shivered in the odd world of the ring. She hated this cold feeling, but she could not see any other way to manage this. Even the most secretive of Hobbits would have trouble hiding from Elves within their own halls.

The Company… She let the images of their faces give her strength and moved forward to begin her task of rescuing her…friends. Yes, her friends. That thought alone would see her through this.

Her friends needed her.


	13. In the Halls of the Elven King

_Author's Note: They're in the cells for longer than the movie leads you to expect. I'm going with the book on this one. And I will be referencing history from the Silmaril here as well. Also, I am planning on a relationship if my muses don't go off in some odd direction, but this story is_ _ **Bella-centric**_ _and it will be a slow, slow, slow build/burn. BTW – this chapter ran away with me, so what was one chapter is now two. I hope you don't mind!_

 **In the Halls of the Elven King**

Bella crept through the corridors, ready to freeze at any sound. Invisible or not, she did not want to take any chances. Any wrong moves on her part could lead to her being spotted – at least by sound or by shadow. She needed to find her Dwarves, their weapons, and then figure out some kind of escape plan. That meant learning the routine of Thranduil's halls – his guards and his servants in particular. Her hope rested on following that routine until she found her Company…her imprisoned Company.

A flare of anger blazed in her heart, but she forced it down.

It made no sense – why had Thranduil imprisoned them? All they wanted to do was get through the forest. They would have been happy – ecstatic even – if they had managed to get through without seeing a single Elf. She remembered thinking the younger Dwarves needed to learn more about the Elves than just what they picked up from Thorin's biased viewpoint. Now she wondered if maybe her own opinion had been too biased in the other direction. Stories she once ignored as belonging to the distant past began to come to mind as she explored the halls.

 _Kin-slaying…._

It occurred to her that her own prejudices needed to be considered. She had long held the Elves in a particular reverence, but that belied their own history. It had not been Dwarf or Man who introduced the concept of Kin-slaying to the world. No, that had been done by the Elves. And for all their superiority over Dwarves and their love of jewels, she had to wonder…had any Dwarf been so enraptured by a jewel as Fëanor and his sons had been over the Silmarils?

Perhaps Thror had given over to his greed and maybe Thrain did go mad, but none of this constituted a reason – in her mind – to imprison travelers.

"The king should toss them to the spiders," a voice grumbled as she passed the kitchens.

Bella paused, her eyes focusing on the door.

"Don't say such things," a second voice reprimanded the first. "Even if they are Dwarves, no one deserves to be abandoned to those…creatures of Ungoliant."

"Then you take their food down," the first voice snapped back in irritation. "I'm tired of being insulted by a pack of-."

"You shouldn't have insulted them so quickly," interrupted a third voice. "They don't insult me."

The three Elves fell into a minor disagreement and Bella waited in a corner for someone to come out. She did not care who delivered the food – as long as someone did. When the argument wound to an end, she followed the loser and repressed the sigh of relief fighting to escape her as she heard the jeers and the irritable comments directed at the Elf in front of her. Her silent footsteps took her to a small corner where she could watch as the Elf delivered food to each cell. She counted the number of times he stopped and her heart sank as she only came to a total of twelve.

 _Botheration!_ Her teeth worried at a thumbnail as he leaned against a stone wall, waiting for the Elf to leave. _Where is Thorin?_ A few more minutes passed before the Elf left, though it felt much longer, but at last she deemed it safe enough to come out of hiding. The guard swept past her as he returned to the upper levels, but she ignored him, keeping only enough of an ear out to know when he had passed beyond hearing range.

"Nori?" The name slipped through her lips on a breath of air.

A sharp grin split the thief's face. "There's our lass," he murmured, pressing closer to the bars. "You alright?"

"Other than the part where I have to sneak around Elves because my Company is locked up?"

The wry question drew another grin. "Better here than the spiders," he pointed out. He chuckled as she wrinkled her nose then his face fell into serious lines. "Be careful, Bella," he told her. "I may not like them much, but these Elves have got sharp ears."

"I'm going to check on the others," she nodded. "Then I have to find Thorin."

"He's not with us?" Nori frowned when she shook her head. "That'll make escape a bit trickier."

"I know."

"Right, right," he muttered. Then he gave her a terse nod. "Do that," he instructed. "Worry about finding Thorin. I'll get the guard schedule memorized."

"Do you want me to pass on any messages?" she asked as she eyed the configuration of cells.

"Tell Dori not to worry."

"I'll try."

Her skeptical tone meant she left an amused Dwarf behind her as she moved to the next cell.

"Bella!" Balin's smile lit up the entire cell.

"Shh!" She hated to shush the elder Dwarf, offering him an apologetic smile as she did so, but she could not be sure how long they might have before another patrol came by. Nori would likely raise a ruckus to give warning, but better to be cautious now.

"Oh, yes, my apologies." He shook his head, white beard quivering with his smile. "I'm so happy to see you free and not trapped behind these bars that I forgot myself for a moment. It shan't happen again."

"I know." She glanced around before turning back to him. "I'm trying to find everyone. I've only seen Nori thus far, but I know there are more along this path."

"Good, good," he nodded as his sharp eyes kept a careful eye on the ledge behind her. "We'll all be the better for it when we know. I dislike us being separated this way." He sighed before offering her another smile. "It might be a sound move by Thranduil, trying to throw us into disorder, but we have a secret weapon in you, someone he would never expect."

"Oh," she ducked her head, tucking a lock of hair behind one ear. "I don't know about that."

"I do," he chuckled. He gestured her towards him and she stepped as close to the door as she could get. Balin reached out to touch her chin with one finger. "You shall do us proud, my lady, I have no doubt." She went to shake her head, but he caught her chin with his thumb. "No doubt at all, my lady," he repeated, his voice firm with conviction.

Her lips trembled a bit with her emotions, but she pulled herself under control. "Bella," she corrected him.

"As you say, my lady."

She frowned at him, wondering how he could agree and disagree with her all at the same time and in such a congenial tone. Before she could say anything, however, a loud banging noise began to echo up the pathway.

Balin sighed. "Go stop that fool brother of mine before he does himself damage, would you?"

Surrendering any chance to argue Bella crept forward along the ledge until she found the source of the noise. Dwalin seemed determined to throw himself through the bars. "Stop that!" she hissed. "You're going to hurt yourself!"

"I…hate…cages!" he informed her, each word punctuated by yet another crash of his body into the cell door. Wildness surged in his eyes as his mouth drew back in a grimace. Each crash, each impact reverberated through the stone, but the bars remained solid and steadfast against his attack. Growls began to rumble in his chest.

"Enough!" Bella stepped up and wrapped her fingers around the bars, risking great injury should he chose to continue.

The tall Dwarf stopped, pulling himself up short. He glared at her. "Step back, burglar!" he ordered.

"No."

That firm word had his eyes narrowing and a great tremor shook his large frame. He began pacing, still shaking even as he prowled the tiny room. "I will not be caged, Bella," he snarled. "I will not."

"I'm going to get you out of here," she assured him.

"You-."

"I promise." Her voice dropped as she focused on him. "I swear, I will get you out of here one way or another."

His shoulders heaved as he drew in breath after breath, staring down at her through the bars. A few moments of quiet, broken only by his heaving breathing, passed before he slumped against the wall next to the door. "I cannot be caged," he muttered.

"It won't be long," she replied, her heart breaking at the vulnerability he showed. "But I need you to be strong." Dark eyes lifted to meet hers and she offered a tremulous smile. "We will need you when we get out. Thorin can't take care of all of us on his own."

"You could it seems," Dwalin huffed, but then he managed a nod. "Get us out of here, little burglar."

"I will."

She left him slumped there, unable to think of any other words which might rouse him to hope. Only freedom – or a good plan for it – could do that now.

"Bella, dear, what are you doing here?" Dori demanded as she stepped up to the next cell. He glanced over his shoulder. "Ori, you eat that!"

"But it's green!"

"I don't care," the elder brother sniffed. "It's food and you'll need it." Then he shook his head as he turned his attention back to the Hobbit. "And you, little miss, need to turn yourself right around and get out of here. You don't belong down here!"

"Neither do you!" she insisted. "I'm going to find Thorin and then get you out."

"It is much too dangerous," Dori insisted. He opened his mouth to go on, but her stomach rumbled. Bella's cheeks grew pink as the Dwarf blinked at her. Then his gaze went from concerned to horrified. "You have no food!" He scurried back to his youngest brother and plucked a few items off of Ori's plate. "I said eat, Ori." Giving the younger Dwarf no chance to reply he hurried back with a small sandwich. "It's only some thin bread and vegetables," he apologized, "but it's better than nothing. We shall start saving you some of each meal."

She accepted the food with a grateful smile. "You don't have to-."

"No, no, no." Dori shook his head at her. "We will save you some food, and you will eat it, do you hear me? Just because I'm stuck behind these bars doesn't mean you get to go neglecting yourself while I'm around."

"Yes, Dori." Bella took a bite of the sandwich, relishing the taste. If being allowed to fuss at her would make him happy, then she would put up with being fussed over.

"Now there's a good girl," he nodded, beaming with approval.

"Bella?" Ori broke in before his brother could continue. "Have you seen Nori?" That diverted Dori's attention and both brothers focused on her, hope growing in their eyes.

She swallowed her bite of sandwich. "I did," she smiled. The smile grew deeper as they both relaxed, each of them looking like a great weight had fallen off of their shoulders. "He asked me to tell you not to worry."

"Is he alright?" Dori asked. "If he's alright then I won't worry."

Ori rolled his eyes, unseen by his elder brother, but drawing a chuckle to Bella's lips. The young Dwarf flushed and picked at his food. She focused on the silver haired Dwarf waiting for her answer. "He's doing well," she assured him.

A hint of peace finally settled into Dori's eyes. "If you say so, then I believe it."

"I will get us out of here," she promised, reaching a hand through the bars to him. "I will find a way."

"I know." He took her hand, giving it a pat. "You're a good girl and you have a good heart." Then he gave a deep sigh. "But that doesn't mean I won't be worrying over you, Bella. You shouldn't have to be the one rescuing us every time we turn around." Frustration seemed to stiffen his frame. "Talking to trolls, facing off against the Defiler, fighting spiders, sneaking around an Elf dungeon. Goodness, what next?"

She refrained from mentioning the dragon, not wanting to get him wound up into a tizzy once more, but she could feel a warm glow, like the comfort of a family hearth growing within her as he squeezed her hand once more before letting it go. "I'll be as careful as I can," she told him.

He murmured a blessing over her before she left and a smile fought to escape as she could hear him start pestering Ori again about eating.

The next cell held their cheeriest member. The miner lay on the stone floor with his silly hat perched on top of his face. Bella might have believed him asleep if she had not spent months on the trail with him. That time was quite long enough to know his sleeping habits – including the volume of his snores.

"Bofur," she called out in a low voice.

He reached up and tilted his hat enough to peer out from beneath its flap. "Well, now, there's a prettier picture than the last face I saw at those bars," he commented. She could feel her face heat up at the compliment, but he just gave a light laugh. The Dwarf rolled to his feet and ambled over to the door. "Now then, lass, what's a lady like yourself doing in parts like these, hmm?"

"Trying to find a way to get all of you out, you silly creature." She rolled her eyes for the sake of the matter, but her spirits, already uplifted by Dori's concern, rose a little higher at Bofur's light-hearted antics.

"And you were the one thinking you didn't belong with us," he scolded. "Now look at you – a protector of the king and law-breaker. Going to burgle us from the Elf-king, are you? Nori'll be proud."

"As he has you imprisoned for no good reason at all, I would hardly call it burgling or breaking any laws," she informed him, her chin lifting in determination.

"What would you call it then?"

Her smile grew fierce. "A liberation."

The miner laughed. "Pretty and smart," he crowed. "Ah, lass, you'll be the cat among the canaries one of these days, see if you aren't." Then he tilted his head further up the level. "I'm doing alright, lass, so you go check on the others. Pretty sure I heard one of the lads up that way." He started back towards the center of the cell but turned to look at her. "See if they've got Bifur with one of the others? If not, would you talk at him for a bit? Might not understand what he's saying, but he'll be getting antsy on his own."

"I will," she nodded.

"Good, lass, I'd appreciate it."

She watched as the miner lay back down in the same position and put the hat over his face again. He seemed content to wait, still as stone, so she crept along in the direction he had indicated.

"Bella!" Fíli's relieved voice greeted her next as he rushed to the cell door. "Are you alright?" he demanded.

"Yes, yes," she assured him, patting his hands where they curled around the metal bars. "What about you?"

"I'm fine." He shook his head. "Have you seen Kíli? I could hear him for a bit, but not in a while."

"I'll find him," she promised, tightening one of her hands over his. "I will."

"Gandalf picked the perfect companion," the young Dwarf replied as a smile began to curve his lips, like the sun breaking from the clouds. Then he went still. "Wait…what about Thorin?" She could not quite repress the wince in time and his eyes clouded back over. "What?' She bit her lip, but he insisted. "What?"

Her voice came out, reluctant as molasses during the winter cold. "The Elf only brought dinner to twelve of the cells." Fíli's hand shook and she rushed to reassure him. "That's only on this level," she cajoled, trying to bolster his hope. "I still have to check the others."

The blond Dwarf nodded, but fear still lingered in his eyes. For all his ferocity, at this moment he looked every inch the youngster, lost in a world he was not ready to handle on his own.

"I will find both of them." Bella repeated her promises in a soft, but diamond-hard voice. Fíli leaned his forehead against the bars and she reached between them to touch his cheek. "I will find your brother; I will find your uncle; and I will get you all out of here." Determination underlined each word. "Right?"

"Thank you, Bella."

The whispered gratitude followed her as she continued up and around the curve of the wall. Out of sight for the moment, she had to stop and lean against the wall. All these promises tumbled out of her lips and she had no clue how to fulfill any of them. Who was she? Just an ordinary Hobbit! She was no burglar! No hero! She was just a Hobbit who wanted to help her friends go home.

"Forward, Bella," she murmured to herself. "We must move forward."

Her steps took her up and to the edge of another curve, but she stopped as she heard voices ahead of her. The ring slipped onto her finger with ease and she crept up and around to find a redheaded Elf sitting on the steps in front of one of the cells. Bella froze and pressed herself against the wall to avoid detection. She listened as Kíli spoke of a fire moon, describing it to the Elf who appeared fascinated by his tale. The Hobbit's lips twitched in amusement as the young Dwarf flirted. _Thorin will have a fit._

Movement from above caught her eye and she glanced up to see a blond Elf staring down at the other.

 _And he doesn't look happy either._

Bella slipped away as silent as any shadow. She would have to talk to Kíli later.

Bifur's eyes went wide as she looked into his cell, tucking the ring into her pocket. His mouth opened, but snapped closed a moment later as she put a finger to her lips. Instead of talking, he turned to the far corner and poked at someone. Bombur looked up and a smile began to blossom on his face. Her gesture for quiet drew a nod, but both Dwarves crowded up to the cell door, Bifur in front. He muttered something.

"Are you well?" Bombur translated in his soft voice, though his eyes held the same question.

"I'm fine," she whispered. "So is Bofur." Both of them brightened and slumped in relief as they took in her words. "I'm just trying to make sure I can find everyone." She glanced around. "There are guards nearby, so I can't stay long."

"Go," Bombur told her, Bifur nodding along. "You've seen us and we've seen you." His eyes crinkled as he gave a grateful smile. "And you've told us of our kin. That's all we need."

"Do me a favor?" Bella asked, her eyes fixing on Bifur. The wild-eyed Dwarf tilted his head like a curious bird. "Listen for any hints they might drop? They might not be as careful around you."

A sharp grin glittered in his dark beard. He nodded, humor lighting up his eyes, and muttered at his brother.

"He can do that," Bombur snickered. She shushed him with a quick glance around and he lowered his voice. "He thinks you're a clever lass and proud that you asked him for help." Gratitude shown in the large Dwarf's face.

"Well," she shrugged, "if they're going to be silly enough to overlook someone just because of an injury, then they deserve to have it used against them."

Bifur gave a silent laugh and muttered some more.

"He thinks the same if people overlook someone because they are small and peaceful."

"I am not that small," she scolded the toymaker. He lowered his head, peering at her from underneath his thick brow. She rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes, so I'm smaller than you." He laughed again, still silent, but then he stuck a finger through the bars and flicked her nose. She batted at it. "Stop that." The sound of a closing door caused her to go silent. When no footsteps followed, she glanced back at them. "I have to go."

"Be safe," Bombur replied, his voice only just louder than a breath. Bifur nodded, whispering something that she thought might be a blessing.

The final cage along this path held two more of the Company. Glóin blinked in surprise as she appeared at their cell door, but he managed to clamp a hand over Óin's mouth as she held a finger to her lips. The healer glared at him until he made a few motions with his hands in their sign language. Óin rolled his eyes but nodded at Bella and gestured to his brother.

The burly redhead came over to the door. "Bella, you shouldn't be here," he frowned. "You'll get caught."

"I'm just trying to find everyone," she told him, ignoring the warning. "Once we know where everyone is, we can start trying to get everyone out." A smile curved her lips. "Other than Thorin, I've found all of the others. You two were the last."

"Everyone?" His eyebrows went up and then a grin broke over his face as she nodded. "By Mahal's hammer, I think the Wizard must have been right about you. A clever tongue, a brave heart, and quiet feet. You should have been a Dwarf, not a Hobbit."

Her lips twitched and she tried not to laugh at him. "Thirteen Dwarves in one company are more than enough," she retorted. "Besides, wasn't that the point? That I wasn't a Dwarf?"

"True, true," Glóin nodded. "Well then, lass, we'll wait for you to tell us what you need us to do, yes?" He chuckled. "Planning this kind of thing isn't my strong suit. You find Thorin and just tell me where to hit."

"I will." Bella looked beyond him to nod at Óin before turning back to Glóin. "Try and be patient."

"Also not a strong suit," he shook his head, "but I'll give it my best."

She wanted to breathe a sigh of relief after talking to – or at least laying eyes on – all of them, but…

 _Twelve,_ she bit her lip. _Only twelve. Where is Thorin?_

She double checked every cell she could find on the level, though it took all day, but the number still equaled twelve. Her lips compressed into a thin worried line. _Where could they have put him? Why does this benighted place need so many cells anyway?! Did they imprison every traveler they found in the woods?_ An Elf guard made a patrol through the area and she ducked into the smallest crevice she could manage to wait for him to leave. He never even looked into the cells, appearing bored as he walked a circuitous route before leaving once more.

A sleepless night passed as she sat watchful guard over her Company and debated where to search for their leader. She decided she would have to risk searching other levels, risk becoming lost in the warren of the Elvenking's halls if she stood any chance of finding Thorin. She would have to keep her eyes and ears open.

 _Yavanna… Mahal… Help me find him._


	14. Bella & Thorin

_Author's Note: And here is the second half of the chapter that ran away with me. Bella and Thorin are private people, I swear. They gave me such a headache getting this written. Muses – can't live with them, can't write without them._

 **Bella & Thorin**

Two days passed in fruitless searching.

Bella's heart hammered in her chest as she crept down the stone steps to the deepest level of Thranduil's halls. A guard had come up from this direction not long ago with a plate of half-eaten food, sparking a new hope. _Please let it be Thorin_ , she thought. _Please let it be him_. The others were growing restless with no word and the boys had started showing signs of suppressed panic. If only she could find him! But the cells stopped two levels ago and since then she had only seen blank walls. Where had the Elf come from?

Another step brought a single cell into view and her breath lodged in her throat.

There sat the Dwarf she had sought. He sat on the floor against the rear wall of the cell, his head hanging down "Thorin!" she gasped out in relief when she reached the entrance.

The Dwarf king's head shot up and he stared towards the bars, eyes wide with surprise. They began to narrow, but flew open once more when she slid off the ring. "Bella…" He shook his head. "How-?" His voice cut off as a shadow darkened his eyes. "You gave me your word-."

"Not to use it unless necessary," she interrupted, voice growing huffy. "I consider trying to sneak around a realm filled with Elves to find a group of particularly stubborn and overprotective Dwarves to define 'necessary' in this case." She shook her head, dismissing any further discussion of the topic. "I have had a frightful time trying to find you! Are you well?"

"I would do better if that thing were in the gullet of Smaug himself," Thorin muttered. A sigh slipped through his lips as her chin lifted. "Well enough," he answered her. "For being behind bars." The flat of his palm slapped against the metal door. His head came up and he pinned her with a look. "Fíli? Kíli? The others? There were giant spiders-."

"Oh, don't even discuss those horrible creatures!" A shiver ran through her. "Your nephews are worried about you and very irritated about being in separate sections," Bella continued, banishing Mirkwood's denizens to the depth of her mind. She did not even want to consider what kind of nightmares she would have when she managed to find a secure enough place to rest. "The others seem well enough, though half of them fuss about eating the food they've been given and Dwalin is going to do himself harm if he keeps knocking about the cell door as he has been."

A crooked grin lifted Thorin's lips and the shadow in his face lifted as she told him of his kin. "That sounds like him." Then his gaze flickered and narrowed as he examined her. "You're tired," he noted.

She rolled her eyes at the blunt statement. "I would like to see you try and find your way through maze of tunnels, trying not to get caught by Elves with their ability to hear a feather drop." Her nose wrinkled as she fought a yawn. "And do all of that with little food and no sleep."

"Bella-."

"I'm sorry," she fought another yawn, "but it's true. And don't tell me I should find a place to sleep. Dori's already done that. He and Ori are plotting how to squirrel away some of their food each meal so I don't have to steal much from the kitchens."

"You must get some rest," he insisted. She frowned at him and he gave a single shake of his head. "Here," he pointed to the space beside the bars of his cell. "The guards do not come often and I will wake you if I hear them."

"But they walk so quietly…" Bella's voice trailed off. She wanted to rest. Her body yearned to curl up in the shadowy corner and let Thorin worry about keeping guard, but she bit her lip, worried at the same time. Her friends depended on her to get them out. She could not do that if she were caught. One wrong turn down here would see them trapped for good.

"They might walk as soft as any cat," Thorin scoffed, "but this is good, solid stone. No Elf could walk so silent on stone that one of Durin's line could not hear them. I will know if they approach." He nodded to the corner again. "Rest."

She gave up arguing and curled into the rock. Her eyes blinked up at Thorin and he sat down against the bars so she could see him without craning her neck. "Why do you suppose he has so many cells?" she murmured, already feeling the dragging heaviness of sleep pulling at her mind. Spending so much time in the odd world of the ring tired her. No matter how useful the invisibility might be, she began to hate the small bauble. The gold burned with fire one moment and then burned again with ice. It disturbed her.

"The better to separate people," he grimaced, interrupting her thoughts. "Isolation and time can break even the strongest of wills."

Bella saw the small tremor of his fingers as his voice grew tight. "Good thing you're not isolated then, isn't it?" Her smile might be sleepy, but she managed to slip her fingers through the bars. "And you won't break. I will be here every day to make sure of it."

"No, I shall not break," Thorin agreed, capturing her fingers with his. Though firm, his grip remained light and some of her sleepiness drained away as his eyes focused on her face. His face might have been carved from granite, but warmth flooded those blue eyes and she wanted to duck her head as she felt color rising in her cheeks. And yet she could not turn away. Something else moved within that warmth, a spark of something deeper, something she dared not name.

Her fingers trembled.

One corner of his mouth lifted with a hint of satisfaction and she could only wonder at what he might have seen reflected in her face. He did not give her a hint however, saying only, "You should sleep, Bella." She began to nod, but her breath caught as he lifted her hand to his mouth. He touched his lips to the back of her fingers, the lightest of touches, before releasing her hand. Her fingers curled in, as if to capture that elusive touch. "Sleep, my loyal burglar," he repeated, not moving from his spot. "I have the watch."

Days passed and Bella could see her friends growing more despondent, more desperate. They had so little time. She did her best to try and give them hope as she continued her search for a way out. Every gate, every potential way out thus far seemed too heavily guarded for a Company of Dwarves to try sneaking out.

The one bright spot – for her anyway – continued to be the evenings…at least she thought they might be evenings. _How did the Elves live in this place? A little sunlight would be nice._ Bella gave herself a good shake. Her time with the majority of the Company passed in hurried snatches as they kept careful watch for guard patrols, though Dori insisted she share some of the food the Elves brought to his and Ori's cell. He fussed over her, over her hollowing cheeks, and watched like a hawk to make sure she ate.

"Not that I don't trust you, Bella dear," he assured her, "but you do have a tendency to focus on helping us and forgetting to take care of yourself."

"Just let him fuss," Ori whispered. "It's not worth the argument."

Her description of it had Nori rolling his eyes. "Always the mother hen," he muttered. Though Bella noted he too kept trying to feed her bits of food he saved from his own meals.

The rest of the day she spent searching through Thranduil's realm, always watching for a way out, but the evenings… Every evening she crept down to Thorin's cell and told him of her explorations or of the Company. He soaked in the news, needing the contact as much as he needed the information. The nights were long though, and neither felt comfortable in a deep sleep – not when the fear of discovery lurked at the edge of their minds. They would doze, but no more – and so they began to share stories, stories of their childhood and some legends of their people. Bella told Thorin of the loss of her brother and of the Wandering Days while he described the founding of Erebor and shared his concern about the gold-sickness. He grew too somber for her taste and she reminded him of her promise to smack him with something should it prove necessary. That drew a true smile to his face as he teased her in return, implying he would have to see about hiring her to deflate royal egos as necessary.

"But I thought that was Balin's job," she riposted, a mischievous note in her voice. "He certainly mutters quite a bit about a certain royal's sense of diplomacy."

"Or lack thereof?" he chuckled before shaking his head. "No, my burglar. Balin may be my closest advisor, but the one who kept me in check was my sister…and I think she would be happy to hand off the task."

"Dís?" Bella ventured, wanting to make sure she had the name correct. He nodded and she offered him a sympathetic smile. "The boys have been telling me about her. I can't decide if I'm more intrigued or nervous about their plan to introduce us."

"She'll adore you," Thorin predicted. "You two are much alike, though you are politer about letting your displeasure be known." Then he paused and a hint of amused caution entered his tone. "Then again, perhaps I should rethink any plan of the two of you ever meeting…though that might prove impossible with both of you in the same mountain."

"Why?" she demanded, ignoring the skip of her heart as he spoke in such a casual, offhand way of her still being in his mountain kingdom when his sister arrived….not to mention the implication that he _wanted_ her to be there.

"Were you and my sister to become friends, I have little doubt you could take over my kingdom within a mere turn of the seasons," he informed her, a mock serious expression on his face. "I should like my reign to last a bit longer than that."

"And who says either of us want your throne, O King?" Bella giggled. "Being King sounds like a great deal of unpleasant work to me, headaches and all. Perhaps we shall let you worry with the paperwork."

"Balin will be most pleased with you – jealous too, no doubt." She tilted her head in curiosity and he lifted a teasing brow. "You have managed to come up with a reason for me to enjoy the prospect of paperwork. He never did manage that."

More giggles escaped her, but she gave an inward cheer as the last of the shadows vanished from his eyes for a time. So their evenings passed, with each of them opening a little more to the other as the time slipped by. Despite the worry and the fear over what the future held, Bella would not have given up those private moments for any treasure, not even for the whole of Smaug's hoard. She could feel a bond growing between them, a connection unlike any she could remember sharing with another person. The trust built between them over their journey became overshadowed by a blossoming friendship. Something warmer stirred beneath that for Bella at least, but she kept it squashed as best she could. After all, what was she but a mere Hobbit of the Shire? A gentlehobbit sure enough, but nothing compared to a king of the Dwarves.

But did his voice not hold a new warmth? Was there not a new spark in his eyes when he met her gaze?

 _Foolishness, Bella Baggins! You are a grown Hobbit. Act your age. You have no business fluttering over him like a tween! Keep your head on straight and be happy with his friendship._

And yet…each night…Thorin held her hand.

The strange internal argument went round and round in her head and her heart as she continued to play an odd game of hide and seek with the Elves. Could it be called that if the Elves don't know they should be seeking? Bella suppressed a sniff of disdain, though she could not decide who her target should be. Should she wonder at the Elves who overlooked the watchful contentment of the Company as some kind of acceptance? Or perhaps she should wonder at herself for considering her current predicament as some kind of child's game?

Bella gave herself a good shake. This place put her off-balance. She hated to think of what it was doing to her friends. Her visits helped – they all assured her of that. Having knowledge of each other and being able to communicate made the difference. Without her, most of them would have been alone and isolated. The thought of it made her heart clench and kept her cautious. She would not risk leaving them in such a state.

 _Why? Why do this?_

She put the question to Thorin and he gave a sarcastic huff of laughter. "Someone who offers no aid to any save his own," he replied. "He gave no help on the day of Smaug's attack and has done nothing but lock himself away in this place ever since."

"He did not wish to risk his people against the dragon?" she offered.

"I would have understood that," the Dwarf king replied. "My grandfather…" Here he paused to consider. "Thror would have been furious, angry and bitter no doubt."

"But you understood?"

"Not wanting to face the dragon? Yes." Then anger swept aside the moment of empathy. "But I will never understand nor forgive him offering no aid to our sick or our wounded…or our children."

"Would that you had come to the Shire," Bella commented, turning away from the topic of the Elves. It would do not good to get Thorin angry and riled with no one but herself on which to focus that anger. "We would have aided you…especially the children, but the Shire would not turn away those in need." Her lips pursed. "Not most of us anyway."

"I know." His expression grew warmer. "If one Hobbit would not shut her door on thirteen Dwarves, then I cannot doubt that your people would have helped mine." Memories swam in his gaze for a moment before he blinked and refocused on her. "By the time we reached so far west, we had given up any expectation or hope of assistance from those outside our own kin. Too many had suffered – between the journey and Thror's attempt to retake Khazad-dûm…" He shook his head. "Too many and too much for too long."

Her fingers tightened on his. "But then end of your exile is within reach," she whispered. "We will make it there, Thorin. I promise."

"Yes," he agreed, "Yes, we will." That spark, more than warmth but not yet a blaze, began to glimmer in his eyes once more, causing her heart to flutter. "You have such hope inside you, Bella. It sweeps away all doubts."

She ducked her head, unable to continue meeting his gaze, as color blossomed in her cheeks. How did he manage to do this? Turn her into a flushing tween girl?

"We are in your hands, my burglar," he continued, giving no sign of noticing her reaction, though he could not have missed it. "And Bella…" Thorin paused for a long moment, his eyes steady on hers. She tilted her head in curiosity, but then he shook his own and appeared to change his mind. "We will leave without the weapons if we must. Better to be free than to be recaptured trying to get them back."

 _What had he meant to say?_

That thought scurried round and round in her head as she continued her explorations. She had seen his face, seen the switch as bright as any daylight. He meant to say something else and changed his mind, but what had it been? She wanted to march straight up to him and demand he tell her, but…her doubts crept in. Did she truly wish to know? It might be nothing, nothing to do with her at all. She needed to focus on getting them out. Then she could wonder and worry over what thoughts passed through Thorin's mind when he looked at her.

 _Mahal…guide my steps._

Then, miracle of miracles, she found the wine cellar…and watched as they sent barrels tumbling into the river below to be carried off to the town of Men.

Finding the wine cellar meant she had the beginning of a plan. If she could get them down there, then she could get them out. She passed the next few days visiting Thorin every evening, the Company every morning, and skulking through the halls most of the afternoon trying to determine how to get them out of the cells and the best routes to the wine cellar from the dungeons. She needed the keys. If we get out of this, I shall talk Nori into teaching me how to pick a lock. The Keeper of the Keys – how odd for Elves to have position titles much like any Hobbit village – seemed to have a great fondness for wine. Perhaps she could use that to her advantage?

One thing she knew – her Dwarves would hate this plan.

"Barrels?" Thorin gaped at her.

"Do you want to get out of here or not?" She tossed the question back at him. "Every other gate is guarded to a fare-thee-well and I haven't found the weapons yet. Not that I think fourteen of us could fight our way out of here anyway." He looked insulted and she rolled her eyes. "Do be serious, Thorin, I know you're all capable fighters, but really! The exits are well guarded."

He grumbled at her, but did not argue. "And no sign of our weapons?"

"Not yet," she sighed. "I've been looking, but they may be on higher levels with the majority of the Elves. I haven't ventured up there."

"Good." She gave him a confused frown and he shook his head. "More Elves would increase the chances of you being discovered." Thorin's eyes softened as they rested on her face and his fingers tightened around hers. "You are our only hope, Bella, but more – I would not have you trapped in Thranduil's hands. He is not like Elrond. You must be careful."

"I shall be." Her voice shook and she cleared her throat. "I shall be." The words came out stronger, clearer on her second attempt. She fell silent as Thorin brushed his lips over the back of her fingers before releasing her to the morning.

His soft words – "Be safe." – followed her as she crept upstairs to check on the rest of the Company.

She spent that day following the Elf in charge of wine cellar around to see how the schedule seemed to go. He appeared to be in charge of several different storage rooms in addition to the wine cellar, making her wonder if the Elves here divided their responsibilities by level instead of by actual jobs. The Elf left a door open as he made another trip upstairs and Bella poked her head into the room, curious about what might be stored within. Her eyes went wide with a bolt of shocked elation.

 _Yavanna bless! The weapons!_ Her shoulders shook as she swallowed a chuckle. The Green Lady was not fond of weapons, so maybe that should be Mahal bless?

Either or both, she decided as a bright grin curved her lips. Whichever wanted the credit could have it. She could see Orcrist, Grasper, Keeper, and all of the other weapons. Her Company would be thrilled! The Elf reappeared in the hallway and she pulled away. Crouching in a corner she began to rearrange the plan in her mind. If she could bring the Dwarves this direction, then they could take the weapons with them in the barrels. The Green Lady knew Thorin and Dwalin at the very least would be most unhappy about leaving their weapons behind. Now all she had to do was figure out a way to get them from behind locked bars. She took a deep breath. One day, one task at a time. At least now she had hope – and hope could carry her through anything.

 _Almost anything?_ The thought came back to her days later as she fought for patience.

Getting the Dwarves free had been easy, thanks to the celebration going on, but getting them into the barrels?

 _Yavanna preserve me from the stiff necks of Dwarves!_


	15. Barrels Out of Bond

_Author's Note: And this one went by a LOT faster!_

 **Barrels Out of Bond**

"This way," Bella whispered, sliding past the wine steward and the Keeper of the Keys. She moved towards the rack of barrels and the escape route hidden behind it.

"I don't believe it!" Kíli hissed, trying to finish adjusting his weapons. "We're in the cellars!"

The Dwarves glared at her and her lips thinned at their disapproval.

"You were supposed to be leading us out," Bofur huffed before she could say anything. "Not further in!"

"I know what I'm doing!" she shot back, rolling her eyes as he shushed her. "This way." They followed her, still grumbling under their breath. A full stack of empty barrels sat there, waiting to be sent off, and she gave an inaudible sigh of relief. "Everyone, climb into the barrels, quickly!"

The Dwarves looked at the barrels and then turned back to stare at her. She could see the shocked disbelief scrawled across their faces. "Are you mad?" Dwalin came up close and towered over her, ignoring Thorin's growled warning. "They'll find us!"

"No," she insisted, "no they won't. I promise you." She put a more pleading tone into her voice. "Please, please, you must trust me!"

The Dwarves began to mill around, murmuring to each other as they tried to make up their mind. Bella could hear a commotion happening somewhere above them. She turned to Thorin, her eyes imploring him to back her in this. He met her gaze and she could see that melting warmth flicker behind the mantle of leadership. "Do as she says!" he snapped out the order. The Company began getting into the barrels and she sighed in relief. Thorin moved around her to join the others, letting his hand brush hers as he did so.

A whisper of thanks went up from her heart, but whether it went to Yavanna or Mahal or all the Valar as a whole, she could not quite decide. Perhaps Eru himself considering how stubborn these males could be at times.

She hastened along the row of barrels and counted to make sure all of the Company were ready to go. With thirteen accounted for, she headed for the lever. Movement drew her attention at the same moment as Bofur spoke up. "What do we do now?" Most of the Dwarves stuck their heads out to look at her.

Her lips turned up into a wry smile. "Hold your breath."

"Hold my breath?" The miner parroted back at her. "What do you mean?"

 _No point in waiting any longer._ She pushed the lever and watched over her shoulder as the floor tilted, letting the barrels roll down and through the opening. The Dwarves yelled and hollered as they fell, compounding the noise of the barrels thumping along, but she ignored the noise. She could feel the excitement building up in her as she realized her plan worked. Her Company was free!

The last barrel rolled out and the floor snapped back into place.

 _Oh, dear._

Then the realization hit her.

 _Oh, Yavanna! How am I supposed to get out?_

More and more noise started echoing down the staircases and she could hear the pounding of feet. Her own steps carried her towards the back of the wine cellar as she eyed the stairs, waiting for the Elves to appear and capture her. This had not been part of the plan. Then she felt the floor shift beneath her feet and it tilted, sending her sliding back into empty air. She could not keep herself from screaming as she fell.

The scream cut off as water closed over her head.

Bella thrashed in the water, growing desperate as she clawed for the surface. Her mind shrieked as her arms and legs flailed in her attempt to get out. Fear, primal and all-encompassing, rose up to clutch at her heart even as her lungs burned for air. She lost track of which direction was up.

A strong hand plunged into the water and grabbed her collar. She felt herself being tugged and pulled, her legs kicking without thought to help whoever had come to her assistance. Her head broke through the surface of the water. She gasped – the taste of clear air sweeter than any wine. The hand pulled her towards one of the waiting barrels and she blinked water out of her eyes to meet Nori's worried gaze. "Bella?"

She tried to give him a smile before looking around to see the company holding onto rocks or each other's barrels. Despite the cold and terror of the water, she could feel a pool of warmth welling up within her at the sight. They risked being found out, risked being caught again, but here they were…

Waiting for her.

Her eyes locked with Thorin's blue gaze. He gave her a proud smile. "Well done, Miss Baggins."

She managed a wave in thanks, but only managed to choke out one word. "Go."

"Come on," Thorin nodded, "let's go."

Bella clung to Nori's barrel with a strength born of desperation as the barrels got caught up in the current. Her hands grew tired, as well as cold and numb from the river water. The rapids and mini-waterfalls did not help. Nori grabbed hold of her jacket, twisting some of the material around his fist. Their combined efforts worked in keeping them together through that first gut-wrenching stretch of river.

A horn sounded, long and loud even over the sound of the rapids.

 _What now?_ Bella could hear the whine in her mental voice. She spared a moment to chastise herself over it. Whatever the hardships, they were one their way out of Thranduil's hold. This was not time to be grumpy – even if she had to be cold and wet and half-drowned.

Then Nori's barrel bumped into the others as they clustered at a sluice gate.

 _Oh…so that's what the horn was all about?_

As the barrels all came together, Bella took a moment to catch her breath and look around. Four armed guards stood on the gate with their swords drawn. She had enough time to mourn the foiling of her escape plan when one of the guards stiffened and then fell forward, a black arrow buried in his back.

 _No, no, no, no, no, no, no!_

"Watch out!" Bofur hollered. "Those are Orcs!"

Bella's prayer went unanswered as Orcs swarmed over the guard post, their attention fixed on the Dwarves gathered below them. They threw themselves downward. One Orc landed on Nori's barrel, but Bella thrust Sting into its chest before it could do any harm. The Dwarves around her thrashed and fought, each doing their best to kill and throw off the Orcs as more continued towards them.

Kíli ran by, using the edges of the barrels like skipping stones.

 _Where does he think he's going?_

She stabbed another Orc in the leg, one eye trying to keep track of their youngest member as he fought his way to the top of the guard post. He made it and she breathed a sigh of relief as he ran for the lever to release them.

Another black arrow slammed into his leg.

"Kíli!"

Fíli's anguished cry could be heard over the battle sounds as his younger brother stumbled to a stop, a dumbfounded look on his face. One hand reached down to clutch his leg even as he tried to reach for the lever. He scrabbled at it, trying to pull it down, but he could get not purchase on the smooth wood. Bella's breath rushed out of her in a gasp of horror as Kíli fell to the ground. Her eyes darted around for a moment before she found Thorin, trapped between the gate and the rest of the barrels. She could see the fear in his eyes as his mouth formed his nephew's name.

Movement from the guard post drew her attention once more and her mouth opened in a wordless denial as an Orc stood above Kíli, sword poised to kill the young Dwarf.

An arrow came out of nowhere, killing the Orc.

Two Orcs came at Nori and Bella turned to try and help. By the time she could look around, Elves seemed to be fighting everywhere. She spotted Tauriel, the redheaded Elf Kíli liked so much, as well as Thranduil's son Legolas. Elves poured from the trees, arrows flying and swords flashing as they dealt with the invaders. Kíli managed to raise himself just enough to grab the lever and Bella watched as he used his body weight to pull it down, opening the gate.

The first few barrels slipped free, but Fíli, Nori, and a couple of others grabbed hold of nearby rocks or the gate itself to wait for Kíli. Bella bit her lip as she watched him fall into his empty barrel. He groaned as the shaft of the air snapped and she could only wince at the thought of how much main he must be feeling.

"Hang on, Bella!" Nori cried as he released his grip on the gate.

The water spun them about again and she tried her best to keep her head above the surface. Sometimes it worked. Sometimes it did not. They hit a rough patch where the water tumbled and tossed around large boulders. She went under. Terror seized her as she felt her grip being ripped loose and she lost her sense of direction as Nori's barrel seemed to fall away from her.

"Bella!"

Nori's cry cut off as she slipped beneath the water. _I'm going to die! I'm going to die!_ The thought shrieked through her mind as she tried to fight the pull of the current.

" _ **Only if you give up, chosen of Yavanna."**_

The voice, deep and rolling like the water itself, echoed in her mind and a small kernel of warmth erupted within her, giving her the strength to keep fighting.

She knew the fighting continued for several long minutes after they escaped through the gate, but she had no time to worry about Orcs or anything else for that matter. All of her attention centered on not drowning. Later she would stare in wonder as she realized she still held Sting in her hands, but while she thrashed about the water, her small sword made no impact on her and she could never think why she had not let it go. All she cared about was staying at the surface and not getting trapped between a barrel and a rock.

It seemed to take forever.

Bella found herself back with Nori's barrel as the river calmed, smoothing into a gentle rocking motion. He looked at her, worry in his eyes and she tried to smile. From the increased anxiety on his face, she guessed her attempt had failed.

Thorin's voice rang out before she could try again. "Anything behind us?"

"Not that I can see," Balin replied.

Bofur tossed out his own opinion. "I think we've outrun the Orcs."

"Not for long," Thorin noted. "We've lost the current."

"Our burglar is half drowned," Dwalin called out. Bella raised her head and met his gaze. She tried for another reassuring look, but it failed as spectacularly as the previous one.

Thorin craned his head around to look at her. His frown deepened. "Make for the shore!" he ordered. "Come on – let's go!"

The Company paddled for shore. Bella tried to help Nori, but all her strength seemed to be drained away. "I've got it," the auburn Dwarf assured her. "You just hang on. We'll be out of here before you know it."

She took his advice, clinging to the barrel and watching as they drew closer to the shore. Thorin and Dwalin reached it first, with Dori and Bombur of all people just behind them. She could see Thorin's gaze shifting from her to his nephews and back again. Then she remembered – Kíli had been injured. She tried to look around, but got a mouthful of water for her troubles. As she spluttered and choked, unable to see, she felt two strong hands grab her.

"I've got you, lass," came Dwalin's sturdy voice. "Let's get you out of this mess."

A few moments later he lowered her to the ground, letting her lean against him. Her eyes cleared and she managed a wan smile. "Thank you." A small cough punctuated her words.

"Little enough," he shrugged. "You got me out of that cage. Least I could do was get you out of the river." He gave her an assessing look. "Can you manage?"

"I've got some rocks here," she nodded, shifting her weight to the sun-warmed stones. "I'll be fine."

He returned the nod and strode towards Thorin who had just finished helping his nephews to the shoreline.

Glóin moaned as he leaned against a rock. "I feel sick."

"I can't feel my stomach," Bombur groaned as he stumbled out of the water. "I think I left it back in the rapids."

"Oh, hush," Dori scolded, earning a nod of approval from his king. "The lass did her best."

"Which way is up?" Ori muttered before squawking as Nori smacked the back of his head. "Ouch! What was that for?"

Mutterings and complaints filled the air, preventing her from hearing Nori's response. Bella knew the Dwarves were just trying to rid themselves of the last of their nerves, but each comment grated on her own. It was not like she had not tried to find another way out. And no one could have predicted the Orcs attacking so near an Elven stronghold.

"Enough!" Thorin's voice thundered over them. She turned to him, a grateful smile beginning to bloom on her face. "Our burglar has done her part. We're free, are we not?"

"But-."

Her temper snapped.

"Oh, quit complaining!" she sniped at them, tears of frustration stinging her eyes. "You're free, you've got your weapons! What more do you want?" A breeze caused her to shiver, her entire body shaking with cold. "Next time I shall sit cozy in a room, eating and sleeping on a regular basis, while you sneak around an enemy's home, shall I? Or maybe I will get a barrel and one of you can be bandied about like some mad river creature's plaything?" She could see a mix of embarrassed shame beginning to fill their faces, but she was too tired to deal with any apologies. Turning away, she pulled herself up to the top of the rocks and wrapped her arms around herself in a futile attempt to get warm.

"Oh my, look at you!" Dori hurried over, fussing about her as soon as he moved within arms' length. He came up with an almost dry length of cloth from somewhere and wrapped it around her, rubbing a fold of the material against her hair to sop up some of the excess water. Bella felt too grateful for the warmth to wonder how he managed to hide it. He continued to fret. "Fine thing it would be," he muttered, "for you to catch cold or something. And after all that time trying to get us free."

She looked up at him through her wet bangs and watched him as he hovered over her. Her mind drifted back to the Hall of Fire when she told Ori to treasure his brothers and her lips curled into a wistful sort of smile.

"And what is so funny, little miss?" he demanded with a stern voice, though the affection in his eyes wasted his attempt at grumpiness.

"You remind me of Bilbo, my brother," she replied, fondness coloring her tone. "I think he would have grown up to be a lot like you if he'd had the chance." A hint of old sorrow entered her voice. "I think I would have liked that. It would have been lovely."

He paused and pulled back to search her face. It took a few moments but Dori must have found whatever he was looking for and his smile blossomed, deep and warm. "One day you shall have to tell me about him." Then he caught her up to him in a fierce hug. "And what would you say to being adopted into such a family as ours? With a fussy mother hen, a thieving rambler, and an ingenuous scribe?"

Bella's eyes filled with tears, but they meant nothing compared to the happy smile spreading over her face. "I would love that."

"Then I will talk to the others," Dori promised before going back to trying to dry her off. He began muttering under his breath, and she repressed her laughter as she caught some of the words. "Never had a sister to worry about before…." His voice trailed off and he paused in his efforts to dry her hair. "Oh, good Mahal, a girl! And I thought I had to worry about Ori." He shot a suspicious look towards Thorin before giving himself a good shake and returning to her hair.

She stifled her laughter. One day she might get a little tired of all the hovering, but for now? For now Bella would risk another ride down a wild river if it meant she could get a new family out of it.

Kíli collapsed nearby, one hand going to his wounded leg. Bella looked at him in concern, but he gave her a crooked smile. "I'm fine," he tried to assure her. "It's nothing." His words contradicted the pain lines she could see in his face.

"On your feet," Thorin ordered as he walked past them.

"Kíli's wounded," Fíli protested. "His leg needs binding."

His uncle turned to face him. "There's an Orc pack on our tail," he reminded the blond Dwarf, regret and determination mingling in his expression. "We keep moving."

"To where?" Balin interjected.

"To the mountain?" Bella hazarded a guess. "We're so close."

"A lake lies between us and that mountain," the elder Dwarf shook his head. "We have no way to cross it."

A frown furrowed her brow. "So then we go around."

"The Orcs will run us down, as sure as daylight," Dwalin pointed out. "Weapons or no weapons, we can't take on a full pack in this state."

Thorin rubbed one hand over his face before glancing back at his nephews. "Bind his leg, quickly," he said in a quiet tone. "You have two minutes."

Dori finished drying Bella off to the best of his ability and patted her shoulder. "Go on with you, dear," he told her. "Get yourself ready while I go check on the others." He moved over towards the river and she watched him with a smile.

Her eyes moved over the Company. Bofur and Bifur helped Bombur as he tried to squeeze the excess water out of his clothing while Glóin and Óin Thorin and Balin conversed in quiet voices and Bella moved to join them. Balin greeted her with a smile before moving away to check on his brother. She watched him and then gave Thorin an arch look. "I didn't mean to run him off."

"You didn't," he managed a small smile. His gaze turned penetrating. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I could use a fire and some warm soup," she admitted, though she nodded at him. "But I can wait until we get somewhere safer. Somehow I think Orc guests would ruin the soup."

That crooked grin that never failed to bring out her own smile flashed over his face, but he did not get a chance to reply.

Something – the sense of something off balance, or maybe the sense of an outsider – something drew everyone's attention back to the river. A dark stranger stood on the rocks just above Ori, arrow already nocked and aimed at the young Dwarf. Bella froze, inhaling a sharp breath as the tension of the group tightened for a fight. Dwalin snatched up a branch and jumped between the two. He made to charge the Man, but the stranger released his arrow, placing it right in the middle of the branch, between Dwalin's hands. Quick as a breath, he turned and fired another arrow to knock the rock out of Kíli's hand. A third arrow was nocked before anyone else could react.

"Do it again," the dark Man warned, looking at Kíli before turning to aim at Dwalin, "and you're dead."

Thorin shifted enough to shield Bella from the Man's view.

 _Oh, honestly,_ Bella thought, her eyes closing as she worked to control the half hysterical laugh that wanted to escape. _Was a bloody dragon not enough?! Trolls, Wargs, Orcs, Goblins, Gollum, Azog, Spiders, Wood Elves – not to mention the ring – and now this? We still have a lake to cross, a mountain to search, a door to find, and then a dragon to face! Does every confounded thing between here and Erebor_ _ **have**_ _to get involved?_

An old memory came to her mind as she watched Balin deal with the stranger. The smell of her father's pipe weed blended with her mother's flowers. In her mind's eye she could see the fond smile curving her father's lips as he rocked in his favorite chair, listening to her tween self as she complained about something being 'unfair'. "Now listen, my little Bella," he replied when she finished. "Life is not fair. It never has been and it never shall be. But that doesn't mean you give up." He smiled at her mother. "The greatest treasures in this world have no price, but they are not free – for to be free would make them worthless. Listen to your mind and listen to your heart – if they agree on a path, then follow it, no matter the toil. The reward in the end will be worth every effort, every bit of unfairness. That reward will be priceless."

 _I'm trying, Papa,_ she thought.

 _I'm trying._


	16. Bard the Bowman

_Author's Note: Okay, there will be more changes in the story line from this chapter forward though it will start small, I think... Hopefully nobody minded when I let the Dwarves leave Mirkwood with their weapons, but I'm probably far too attached to Orcrist and the idea of Dwalin naming his axes._

 **Bard the Bowman**

 _If I never face another journey such as this, it shall still be much too soon!_

Bella kept her eyes closed, trying to imagine herself anywhere else. Sitting in a barrel and buried in fish ranked quite high in her list of the worst things which had ever happened to her. It might not equal facing Gollum or the spiders in Mirkwood or a one-on-one tea with Lobelia, but it did not fall too far short. She could hear noises coming from the barrels around her and she did wish the others would stop. Her own stomach would begin to revolt if they kept it up.

She heard a thumping noise and then Bard's voice. "Quiet," the Man hissed. "We're approaching the toll gate."

Trying to peer through a small hole in her barrel, something left over from the fight she presumed, gave her another way to try and avoid thinking about her surroundings. Not that she could see much – just a bit of the ship and part of what she thought must be the Man's town. She could still hear however, and the words came through loud and clear.

"Halt!" A new voice called out. "Goods inspection. Papers, please." The male voice paused. "Oh, it's you, Bard."

 _At least now we have a name,_ she thought. The close-mouth Man had not been in any particular hurry to share personal information.

"Morning, Percy," Bard replied, his voice only a touch softer with his fellow citizen than it had been with the Company.

"Anything to declare?" the unseen Percy asked.

"Nothing," Bard returned, "but that I am cold and tired, and ready for home."

"You and me both." A minute went by and then Percy's voice came once more. "Here we are. All in order."

"Not so fast."

Bella's heart jumped as a third male voice spoke. _Now what?_

"Consignment of empty barrels from the Woodland Realm," the third voice continued, a supercilious note bleeding through his voice. "Only they're not empty, are they, Bard?" Footsteps drew near to the boat. "If I recall correctly, you're licensed as a bargeman, not a fisherman."

 _You need a license to fish?_ She wrinkled her nose. _What a strange notion._

"That's none of your business," Bard answered.

Bella lifted an eyebrow. She had not thought he could get any surlier than he had been with the Company, but he proved her wrong.

"Wrong," came the third man yet again. "It's the Master's business, which makes it my business."

"Oh, come on Alfrid," Bard huffed. "Have a heart. People need to eat!"

"These fish are illegal," Alfrid proclaimed. She heard a small splash before he spoke once more, giving an order to someone. "Empty these barrels over the side."

Scraping sounds reached her ears next and her eyes closed in supplication though she knew it might be hopeless at this point. _Please don't let us be found!_ She heard more splashing sounds as some fish hit the water's surface. The Men would find whichever Dwarf lay hidden in that barrel soon…and then they would all be discovered.

"Folks in this town are struggling," Bard argued. "Times are hard and food is scarce."

"That's not my problem," Alfrid sneered.

Bella's jaw dropped a little in shock at the sheer callousness of that remark. _How can he care so little?_ She raged in the silence of her mind. _About his own people!_

"And when the people hear the Master is dumping fish back in the lake, when the rioting starts, will it be your problem then?" Bard's rejoinder had the Hobbit holding her breath. How desperate things must be for the Man to be putting himself in harm's way for what little coin the Company could spare!

A long moment of silence followed Bard's question.

"Stop," Alfrid ordered, surrendering the battle. The sneer grew stronger in his tone. "Ever the people's champion, eh, Bard?" he scoffed. "You might have their favor now, bargeman, but it won't last." The sound of departing footsteps brought a sigh of relief to Bella's lips.

"Raise the gate!" Percy called out and she let the sigh escape as the boat began to move again.

"The Master has his eye on you!" Alfrid shouted. "You'd do well to remember. We know where you live!"

"It's a small town, Alfrid," Bard called back. "Everyone knows where everyone lives."

 _I must remember that particularly dry shade of sarcasm. It would be wonderful to use on Lobelia._

She felt a jolt as the ship came to a stop and held her breath, waiting to determine what happened next. The sounds of barrels being tipped on their sides and the coughs and spluttering of her friends prompted her to start trying to struggle free of the fish. Daylight appeared and she blinked down at herself, grimacing at the slimy feel of her hands…and everything else.

"Come, Mistress Baggins," Thorin said in a formal tone, stepping up beside her barrel and taking her arm. "Let's get you out of there."

With his help, as well as Dwalin's, she managed to get free of the barrel and its slippery contents. The Dwarves struggled free on their own for the most part, though she noted Fíli and Óin helping Kíli while Dori and Nori worked to pull their youngest brother out of his fishy trap. All three of them seemed to be frowning in her direction…

 _No,_ she realized. _They're frowning at_ _ **Thorin.**_ Her brow furrowed as she glanced between the king and her newly adopted brothers, trying to determine what might be causing their scowls. Thorin, for his part, did not notice. He used the time to scan the area, his eyes sweeping their surroundings even as he helped her out of the boat.

"What is this place?" she murmured as she followed him.

"This, Bella," Thorin replied, his voice matching her in quietness, "is the world of Men."

The trip through Laketown made Bella uneasy. Something about the place felt wrong, a sense of hopelessness maybe? She could not put her finger on it, but whatever it was – she did not like it. A figure came running up to Bard. The lad – for young he was despite his height – shook his head. "Da!" he greeted the older Man. "Our house, it's being watched."

Bard looked at the bedraggled group of refugees. "We'll have to sneak you in," he told Thorin.

"How?" The Dwarf king frowned as he glanced around the nearby buildings. "This place does not appear to have been built for it."

Sardonic humor glimmered in the Man's face for a brief moment as he glanced at the water. "That depends on how you look at it."

"Oh, no," Bella groaned, burying her face in her hands. "Not again."

"Come on," Nori took her arm. "Think….no rapids here."

"No," she agreed, though a shiver ran down her spine. "Just…a _lot_ of water."

Dori and Ori clustered around them. "We shall help you," Dori assured her, one hand resting on her shoulder.

"When this is over I don't think I ever want to see more water than can be fit into a bath," she sighed, but she followed them into the water of the lake. Her new brothers stayed beside her, helping her to make her way to the place Bard had indicated. She cringed back from thinking too much about what else might be in this lake and focused on keeping her head above water. Thorin drifted near them a time or two, his eyes meeting hers with a warm concern bleeding through the need for haste. Dori watched him, but said nothing. Color bloomed in her cheeks as he moved between them like some overzealous chaperone.

 _Not that it's necessary,_ she assured herself. Though she did think it sweet of Dori to be so concerned. It had been quite a while since she needed a chaperone.

She could practically feel her skin begin to crawl as Ori helped her into the house. The two girl children stared at their houseguests, surprised confusion painted across their faces. The eldest blinked and her jaw dropped a bit as she spotted Bella in the group. "Da, there's a lady," she hissed at Bard, trying to be subtle.

The Hobbit suppressed a wince as everyone focused on her. "How do you do?" She dredged up a smile. "Bella Baggins, at your service."

"Sigrid," the young woman bobbed a small curtsy. "At yours."

The family and the companions stared at each other for several long moments. Bard seemed to be trying to determine his next move while the smallest of the children all but vibrated as her wide excited gaze moved from one stranger to the next. Bard's son seemed bemused by the whole affair. As far as Bella could tell, only she and Sigrid seemed to have any chance of holding a sensible conversation.

"Miss Sigrid," she smiled, putting on her best visiting manners, "might I trouble you for a bit of water and a cloth? I would dearly love to try and…freshen up a bit."

That jolted Bard and he turned to his daughter. "Take Miss…Baggins and let her wash," he instructed. "She'll need something to wear while her clothes get cleaned as well."

"Yes, Da."

The Dwarves muttered and shifted, but they went still as Bella turned a glare on them. "I need a bath." Her words came out less like a comment and more like a decree – and she did not care. She felt disgusting. If it took every feminine trick in her repertoire to get a wash, then she would use them…every single one. This adventure may have proven her more of a Took than she ever seemed before, but that did not mean she had to be uncivilized when there was no need. And her companions knew it. Not one protested as she followed the two girls out of the room.

The bath felt wonderful.

Not that it was a full bath as she might have had at Bag End, but after the past few weeks, the warm water and soap made her more than happy. So did the clean drying cloths and the mismatched clothing they managed to find for her. Bella could have cared less. Let her seem the most ragged of vagabonds as long as she could be clean!

"Are you doing better, Miss Baggins?" Sigrid asked as she stepped inside the small bedroom.

Bella looked up and smiled. Little Tilda trailed along with her sister, careful to shut the door behind her. Both of them took the invasion of their home with more grace than she had possessed. "I am doing much better after that bath, thank you, Miss Sigrid. I think the cold tried to seep into my bones." She gave a small laugh. "Hobbits are not made for being dunked in rivers and lakes."

"What's a Hobbit?" Tilda asked, eyes bright with curiosity.

"I'm a Hobbit," Bella informed her. "Some folks call us Halflings, but we don't care for it."

Tilda nodded before asking another question. "Where do you come from?"

"Tilda," Sigrid hissed, but Bella just laughed.

"No, no, let her ask," she told the older sister. "That's how she learns and I don't mind." Her hand reached out and picked up a comb. She began to pull the comb through her curls, noting their length in an absent-minded sort of way. Bella turned a merry gaze on the younger girl. "Hobbits live in a place called the Shire, far to the west of here."

She spent and enjoyable hour trading stories with the two of them as she tried to tame her appearance back to something proper for company. While some might argue that she had lost that particular battle back when she decided to run off with a company of Dwarves, she had every intention of holding true to her own standard.

She was a Baggins of Bag End after all.

Bella folded the drying cloth over the footboard and sighed as her hair seemed determined to go everywhere. She walked into the main room, hands working to pull back the stubborn locks as she grumbled over the mass of curls. The sounds of talking died away and she looked up to find everyone staring at her. "What?" she demanded, taking a quick glance at herself. She saw nothing on her clothing, so she freed a hand to rub her cheek. "Do I have something on my face?"

"Look at those curls!"

The mutter caused her to frown. "Oh, that," she sighed, gathering her locks together and trying to get the hair tie around them. "My hair has grown much too long and I've lost most of my ties. I need to cut it." Sound exploded once more, this time erupting into a cacophony of protests. "I can't just leave it the way it is!" As if to agree with her verbal statement, her last tie broke, sending half of her hair tumbling to her shoulders and around her face. "Oh, Yavanna bless it!" She threw up her hands in exasperation. "Someone give me some scissors!" she demanded. "Or a knife."

"Oh no you don't." Dori marched over and, taking hold of her arm, pulled her to a bench beside the table before turning to his brothers. "Nori, give me your comb and a couple of clasps," he ordered. "Ori, get into my pack and dig out some of the family beads." His mouth formed a determined line as he turned back to Bella. "I'll get this sorted out and I don't want to hear another word about cutting your hair, Belladonna Baggins."

"Dori," she started, but he shook his head.

"The very idea," he muttered, taking the comb from Nori. Bella opened her mouth and he gave her a light smack on the arm with the comb. Her jaw snapped closed and he smiled in approval before turning his attention to her hair. "Cutting hair…and you with curls like this. I've never heard the like. No sister of mine's going to be cutting her hair." He continued speaking under his breath as he began to style her hair to his satisfaction.

Bella said nothing, realizing she must have stepped on some form of Dwarf etiquette or custom. She would get the truth out of one of the others later. Balin or Ori would probably be best – they almost always had the most patience with her questions. For now she would let Dori fuss and enjoy the sensation of being among family.

Sigrid handed her a cup and Bella offered a grateful smile. "Thank you, Miss Sigrid."

"You're welcome."

She could not remember the last time someone had done her hair and she let her eyes fall closed at the feeling of comfort building up within her as Dori combed and separated her curls. Memories of sitting at her mother's feet in front of a fire threatened to overwhelm her, but this time the memories brought no sorrow. The quiet conversations flowed around her and a small smile curved her lips as her heart found rest in knowing the Company sat free and together in some form of safety once more. They needed rest for body and mind, but this would do for the moment.

The sensation of being watched caused her eyes to flutter open. She glanced around, holding her head still for her adopted brother, and found Thorin staring at her. At her hair to be more precise. The frank admiration in his face startled her. Yes, she knew Dwarves had a thing about hair, but really? Then his eyes shifted and his lips curved up as he caught her watching him. Her cheeks grew warm. She would have ducked her head, but Dori's hands in her hair held her still.

Someone crossed between them.

"Found a couple," Nori drawled out as he passed two bits of metal to his older brother. Bella bit her lip as he shot a challenging look towards Thorin. The Dwarf king met the challenge with a careful scrutiny of his own before offering Bella a nod and another small smile. He turned his attention to Balin and Dwalin, speaking in soft tones as they watched Bard and his children.

Nori crouched down so he could meet her eyes, but said nothing. He just lifted an eyebrow as his gaze flicked to Thorin and back. Bella pursed her lips, folding her hands in her lap, as prim as any Hobbit matron at a formal tea. Amusement flickered in her brother's expression and she suppressed the urge to give him a light kick in the shin. "You look good in braids," he told her before casting a speaking look over her head. "It's no wonder some folks are prone to staring."

"Hmph."

Bella threw an exasperated look at Nori as she heard Dori begin grumbling behind her. "I'm going to kick you if you're not careful," she hissed, trying to keep her voice down.

"Temper, temper, little sister," he teased, not moving from his crouched position at her side.

"There," Dori announced, satisfaction thick in his voice. "How does that feel?"

She lifted her hands to her hair, careful so she did not disturb his work. Several individual braids snaked in a winding pattern from the edge of her hairline to a central point near the nape of her neck where he gathered her hair into a larger clasp that allowed the rest of her curls settle between her shoulder blades in a long tail. She could feel small beads sprinkled throughout. Two strands near her temples still hung loose along the side of her face.

"Ah, yes, the last part," he smiled as he came around in front of her. His fingers made quick work of two small braids which he finished off with two long beads marked by Dwarf runes. "Done."

Bella glanced around for a reflective surface. "It feels marvelous," she assured the hovering Dori. "I just wish I could see it."

"It suits you," Balin assured her.

More reassurances came from various members of the company, bringing a shy smile to her face and a proud one to Dori's as he allowed himself to be drawn into a discussion on family matters with Balin. Though she tried to pay attention as it seemed to involve her in some way, the entire thought went right out of her head when her eyes swept the room and met Thorin's. Her cheeks grew pink when she caught him staring, that warm spark lighting his gaze as it lingered on her.

From the corner of her eye she saw Nori's mouth open. Her elbow nudged his side before he could say anything embarrassing. "Hey!" he exclaimed, leaning away. "You have sharp elbows."

"That won't be all you have to worry about if you don't stop trying to rile Dori up," she muttered.

"What's this now?" Dori demanded, turning back to her from his conversation with Balin.

Nori fell to the floor laughing as Bella buried her face in her hands, the blush growing ever darker in her cheeks. She heard Dori take a deep breath and she did the same, looking up and opening her mouth – even though she had no clue what she might say. But she never got the chance to speak.

A large unexpected sneeze caused her entire frame to shake.

"Oh, excuse me!" She glanced around and young Tilda ran up with a handkerchief. "Thank you," she smiled, trying to be discreet as she wiped her nose with the Man-sized cloth. Having such a large handkerchief came in handy as two more sneezes followed in quick succession.

"Let me see her," Óin demanded, pushing his way to Bella's side. He felt her forehead and around her jaw. At his prompting, she opened her mouth and let him peer into her throat. "Lass has got a cold," he informed the group. "Shouldn't be any surprise with the lack of rest and that dunking she took in the river. She needs some soup or tea and a good night's rest. A few days should see her back to good health."

"A few days," Bard repeated, lifting a brow. His eyes swept over the Company before turning to his children. "We might be able to keep you hidden that long."

"It's just a cold." Bella tried to reassure everyone, but another sneeze followed by a cough had the entire group jostling to get her situated. Sigrid and Tilda brought her some soup and tea while Bard and his son helped the Dwarves determine sleeping arrangements in the small house. Bella ended up sharing the girls' room while the rest of the Company spread out through the family areas. She did not bother to argue. The faster she got well, the sooner they could leave, hopefully with no one the wiser.

Their presence remained a secret for three days…a good two days longer than Bella expected.

 _Why is it not one of these Dwarves seemed to grasp the concept of subtlety?_

An unfair thought, she knew, but if Thorin intended to announce himself to all and sundry, then why had they bothered trying to hide in the first place? Now she stared, still pale from her short illness, as the Master of the City welcomed them to the city with offers of supplies and refreshment before they continued their journey. Greed and disdain glinted in his eyes when he thought no one was watching. Indeed, he reminded her of the Sackville-Baggins' whenever they walked past the entrance to Bag End.

Bella did not like him.

She would much prefer to deal with Bard, but the Man avoided the Dwarves after their reveal to the general population. With the Master having given away Bard's own royal heritage, it seemed like a new barrier existed between the Company and the bowman.

 _Of all the ridiculous, stupid, annoying…. Can no one in this world get along without being suspicious of anyone with even the smallest of secrets? We all have our own secrets; must they always be a point of division between us?_

Sorrow welled up inside as she spotted Sigrid, Tilda, and Bain standing quiet and thoughtful behind the cheering crowds. The little family had treated them with respect and compassion despite believing them to be poor travelers. She harbored no naïve notions that any others in this city would have done the same. Perhaps some would, but her eyes narrowed on the Master once more and she cocked one eyebrow. That one would help no one unless he received something in return. The crowd began murmuring, chanting even, and Bella's eyes fell closed at the words.

 _Gold. So much focus on gold. I would prefer a good book and a nice cup of tea._

A shiver ran down her spine as the song continued.

 _I've got such a bad feeling about this._


	17. On the Doorstep

_Author's Note: Well this went longer than I expected and I'm not sure I can write any romance to save my life. On the odd voices Bella keeps hearing, bear with me. It will be made clear eventually. Though one or two are probably obvious by now._

 **On the Doorstep**

Bella might be feeling better, but the same could not be said of Kíli. Only his stubbornness kept him on his feet as far as she could tell. Óin watched him with a stern eye as Fíli moved between him and anyone who might cause a problem. She tried to help where she could, insisting he be the one to sit with her as the Company prepared for the next leg of the journey.

According to the current plan, they would travel by boat for the first part, to the point where the lake came closest to the mountain. Then they would continue by boat up the Running River until they reached the lower slopes. From there the Company would walk up the slopes, past the ruins of Dale, and to the location of the secret door as indicated on the map. She shuddered at the thought of that much water travel, but time now worked against them.

She eyed Kíli as they talked of the long walk and climb once they reached Erebor. Would his leg manage it?

The day of departure arrived and the people of Laketown gathered to send them off with a grand fanfare. The Master of the City showed up, all smiles and well wishes…offset by greedy, disdainful eyes. She could see Bard standing away from the crowd, half hidden in the shadows – stoic and unimpressed. His children clustered near him, caught it seemed between the infectious gaiety of the crowd and the disapproval of their father.

"Wonderful," Bella sighed, looking at the small boat. "Just wonderful."

Thorin helped her into the boat, ignoring the narrowed gazes of her brothers. "Stay near the center," he advised her. "It'll keep you away from the water."

"We're one short," she remarked as she looked around. "Where's Bofur?"

He frowned. "If he's not here, we leave him behind."

She blinked, her eyes going wide.

"We have to," Balin nodded, though he paused to give her an understanding smile. "We can risk no more delays."

Kíli moved to get into the boat behind his brother, but then his uncle reached out a hand to clasp his shoulder. "Not you," he told him, regret and determination battling in his voice. "We must travel with speed."

"What are you talking about?" the young Dwarf asked, a half smile curving his lips. Bella winced as she realized he thought Thorin was joking. "I'm coming with you."

"No." Thorin shook his head. "Stay here and rest." He attempted a smile. "Join us when you're healed."

Shock and betrayal filled Kíli's face and he pulled away from his uncle, turning away from him. Tears pricked at Bella's eyes as she watched Thorin gaze after his nephew for a moment, the sense of loss clear to anyone who cared to look. He swallowed and turned towards the boat as Óin climbed out. The healer met his king's gaze. "I'll stay with the lad," he announced. "My place is with the wounded."

Fíli stepped up to Thorin. "Uncle, we grew up on tales of the mountain. Tales you told us. You can't take that away from him!"

Sorrow flickered in Thorin's expression. "Fíli-."

"I will carry him if I must!"

"One day you will be king and you will understand," Thorin told him. "I cannot risk the quest for the sake of one Dwarf…not even my own kin."

Fíli stared at him. Bella caught her breath as he turned to look at his younger brother. Kíli was trying to pull away from Óin. The blond Dwarf climbed out of the boat, glancing back as Thorin grabbed his arm.

"Fíli," the king protested, "you belong with the Company."

"I belong with my brother."

She leaned into Dori as she tried to suppress the fresh rush of tears she could feel building as she saw Thorin's shoulders slump as he turned away from the dock. Perhaps only the Company could see it, but his despair radiated to her. The Dwarves around her waved to the cheering people, but Bella turned her eyes back to the dock, fear and anguish stirring within her. This division of the Company bothered her. "This isn't right," she murmured.

"It'll work out," Nori assured her, leaning forward to touch her shoulder.

Her smile must have been strained as it took her quite a fight to even manage the smallest one. She gave no verbal reply; rather she turned and faced their destination, leaning into Dori to ward off the new anxiety rolling in her stomach.

"We'll be across soon," the elder Dwarf commiserated, mistaking her concern.

How did she tell them, explain this new fear to them? The water, and her being on it, made no impression on her at all. Not sure how to express her real trepidation, she let him think what he liked. From the stiff set of Thorin's shoulders, she thought he too might be feeling the loss, but he might also just be focused on getting to Erebor. She could not push her emotions aside and concentrate on the quest. Not yet at least. Perhaps that would come when it came time to face the dragon.

 _That_ thought she did suppress. If she worried about Smaug right now, she might as well try swimming back to Laketown. Her nerves would not take it.

 _One problem at a time._

She closed her eyes and tried to clear her thoughts. A little more rest would do her good and there was nothing she could do until they reached the shore. If she spent the entire time worrying over things she could not change – like the four they left behind – she would tire herself out before they reached anywhere near the mountain. She found it difficult to push aside her concerns though. How would the Company be without them? Fíli with his steadfast determination and familial devotion; Kíli's staunch recklessness and quick smile; Bofur's cheery disposition and ready wit; Óin's dry humor and deep compassion. Again she could feel sorrow clogging her throat at the thought of the broken Company.

 _ **Be at peace, chosen of Yavanna.**_ A gentle voice seemed to echo in her mind, soft and compassionate, filled with the sorrow of ages. _**They will yet have their part in this quest.**_

Bella sat up, her eyes flying open and darting about. She saw nothing but the remainder of the Company and a seemingly endless stretch of lake around them. Dori gave her a worried look, but she managed a smile and leaned into him once more, letting him put an arm around her shoulders.

"Just a bit further." His arm tightened and she gave a soft chuckle.

"I know."

Thorin glanced back at her in concern, but he said nothing.

"I'm fine," she told him, willing him, as well as the rest of the Company, to believe her. He watched her for a long moment before nodding and turning away. Convincing them meant she could relax a bit, but in the back of her mind she fretted over the strange voices. Her dream at Beorn's, the voice in the water in Mirkwood, and now this…was she going mad?

Her nose twitched. The scent of fresh tilled earth and a lush garden full of green growth encircled her. _**Do not let your heart be troubled. You will understand soon, my little one.**_

 _Yavanna bless…_ She cut off the thought even as it began to form.

Light laughter rolled through her mind. _**Did you think I did not hear when my children called upon my name? You have done well thus far, my daughter, and I trust you will do well in the days ahead.**_

What could she say to that? _Thank you._ She received no answer, but her spirits rose anyway.

They reached the shore and disembarked. Bombur and Glóin oversaw the division of the supplies, but waved her off when she tried to take a share. "You'll need your strength for the climb, lass," Glóin told her. "Best to let us handle carting the supplies."

"We know you want to help," Bombur agreed before shooing her away. "And we appreciate that."

The first part of the walk took them through a desolated landscape. Bella watched as a thrush flew past – the only sign of life outside of themselves that she could see. "It's so quiet," she noted.

"Wasn't always like this," came Balin's soft reply. "Once, these slopes were lined with woodlands." Sorrow burgeoned in his somber gaze – a gaze that grew distant as if he looked into a different scene, a scene from the past. "The trees were filled with birdsong."

Dale came next. The wind seemed to whistle a mournful tune as it wound through the abandoned streets. Bella could almost fancy she heard voices in the air, voices of those lost and forgotten in the dragon fire. It might just be her unease at leaving four of their company back in Laketown, but she doubted it. Fog curled through ruined buildings, not quite hiding the walls still blackened with soot. Snow and ice covered some of the horror, but most stood out in stark testimony of the terror of that day. Even after all this time, nothing green grew in or around the city. Empty windows seemed to stare out like baleful eyes demanding to know why they had been targets of the dragon's fury – they who possessed no hoard of gold.

"No reason," she murmured.

"Bella?"

She looked at Bombur, her eyes sorrowful. "The dragon had no reason to target Dale."

He shook his head. Bifur muttered something and Bombur nodded before turning to translate. "No reason except a love of destruction."

"I wonder what it was like….before," she commented, her gaze shifting back to the ruins.

"Bustling," Thorin replied, stepping up beside her.

"A great city of Men," Balin agreed from where he stood near his brother. "A place where Dwarf, Man, and Elf all came together for trade. The only city of such size in this part of Middle Earth. All trade went through Dale and it grew prosperous. I remember the sights and sounds of the great festivals at the coming of spring and at the time of harvest."

Dori moved closer to Bella, one hand coming to rest on her shoulder. "Every building would be decorated," he told her. "And there would be music and dancing. People would hold competitions in everything from baking to feats of strength."

"Before…" Balin's voice trailed off, but then he straightened his shoulders. "Before the distrust began to brew, one could see three kings seated together to watch the festivals," he noted. Sorrow flickered in his expression. Dwalin reached out to clasp his shoulder and Bella could see the elder lean into the touch.

It struck Bella, stronger than anything previous, that this destruction – so distant in her mind – touched many of these Dwarves personally. They knew the city – as it had been. They may have known those who were lost. This quest for Erebor wasn't just a duty for them – not even such an important duty and reclaiming a homeland. Although she knew and had always known this quest meant 'home' to them, it struck her now with as strong an intensity as possible. They came to right old wrongs – wrongs done to them, yes, but wrongs done to so many others who shared this place with them.

She wondered if they realized that.

Did they know that each time they struck out against the dragon it would not only be a strike for Dwarves? It would be a strike for the Men of Dale and their lost homes. It would be a strike for Laketown and the fear they had lived in for decades. It would even be a strike for Mirkwood in its own way. Her lips quirked to one side at the thought of it.

 _Probably shouldn't mention that one._

They continued walking, the slope inclining in a gradual pattern as they circled to the side, away from the front entrance. Above them loomed the mountain of Erebor, a slumbering giant devoid of any sound of life save their own.

"Here," Thorin told them looking at the map in his hand. "Scatter about. It should be here somewhere."

Bella began to walk along the mountain, her eyes gazing upward. The statue of a Dwarf glared out across the countryside, both noble and fearsome in his visage.

"Thror," Dwalin noted in a quiet voice. She turned to face him, lifting an eyebrow. He nodded to the statue. "The image of Thror, Thorin's grandfather, when he still ruled here as King Under the Mountain…before the dragon came."

The tall guardsman continued walking, but she stopped to look into the face of the former Dwarf king. Now she could see the resemblance, the common features he shared with his grandson. He looked as stern and foreboding as Thorin could get when that brooding anger spread over his face. She wondered if he also looked as handsome during the rarer times when he smiled.

 _Fiddlesticks, Belladonna Baggins! This woolgathering is not getting that door found!_

She gave herself a good shake and started to turn away. Then she stopped. Something about the statue pulled at her. Her eyes moved over it once again, this time ignoring the face and making a long, slow examination of the figure itself. The Hobbit found herself almost entranced by the statue as she tried to figure out what bothered her about the carved stone.

Then it hit her, the pieces falling into place as her mind and eyes focused on the designs built into the statue's form. "It's a visual riddle," she murmured, a smile breaking over her face. "Thorin!" She spun, finding where he stood further down the slope. He looked up at her and she waved. "Up here!"

Thorin ran up beside her as the rest of the Company clustered around them. Pride shown in Dori's face as a hopeful excitement built in their leader's expression. His hand came to rest at the small of her back, the warmth of his touch sending color into her cheeks. "You have keen eyes," he told her, the smile he gave her taking years of struggle out of his eyes. "In the statue itself," he murmured with a soft chuckle. "Hiding it in plain sight."

That rumbling chuckle gave her spirits a greater boost than finding the stairs. Maybe, just maybe the fears she felt on their departure from Laketown would prove groundless. Bella returned Thorin's smile, her eyes locking with his, and for a moment everything – and everyone – else fell away. For a moment she felt happy, basking in the light of his joy. Then a sense of unease ran through her. The warmth and the spark he always seemed to manifest around her still shone in his gaze, but something else lurked on the edges. Something…odd…like a shadow of some darker emotion or feeling she did not understand.

"Come along, Bella dear," Dori interrupted, pulling her to his side. His eyes narrowed on Thorin. "If we're going to get up there in time, then we best be going."

Light seemed to flash in Thorin's eyes before they settled into an accepting humor. He inclined his chin at her older brother before offering her another smile. "We should," he agreed. "We have a climb to make."

Climbing up the stairs proved to be a daunting task. Bella often found herself being passed along much like a child when some of the steps proved too much for her Hobbit stature. She pursed her lips and put up with it, though she did have to threaten to kick Nori yet again if he made another comment about her height. The comment did not rankle her as much as she pretended, for his teasing and her riposte brought some much needed merriment to the group. Whatever else they faced in the next few hours, she rather thought she would need the memory of that laughter to buoy her spirits. Each step took them closer to the moment when she would have to walk into the darkness alone and a potential face-off with a dragon.

They reached a more open spot and paused to catch their breath. She walked up to the next section and looked up. "One last climb," she sighed, "and it's straight up."

"You'll go first," Thorin replied, his voice coming from right behind her.

She started and spun around, blinking at how close he stood. A quick look around found Dori and Nori having a discussion with Balin and paying no attention. Ori scribbled away in his journal, oblivious to the world around him.

"Balin always did possess a talent for excellent timing," Thorin chuckled, glancing at the knot of talking males before his gaze returned to her. The spark grew brighter, blotting out any shadows. "I needed a moment to speak with you," he continued.

"Oh?" she murmured as she did her best to temper her imagination. _He could be wanting to talk about anything,_ the sensible Baggins part of her pointed out. Her Took side of all but snorted in disbelief. _And that requires keeping her brothers out of the way?_ Bella gave herself a mental shake even as she lifted her eyebrows in question. Some mischievous bit of her personality escaped her control and curved her lips into a teasing smile. "And what did you have to say that might cause my brothers concern?"

"You've done more, far more than we ever expected or could have asked of you," he began. Her eyes narrowed as he spoke, unsure where he might be going with this. "We needed a burglar here at the mountain, but you have become a full member of this Company. You have exceeded any agreement, any contract. I cannot ask you to go further, or to face the dragon-."

"Stop." She reached out and touched his hand. He shifted his hand to clasp her fingers as he had done in the Woodland realm. "I told you – I am with you to the end."

"And what about after?" he asked, the intensity of his gaze deepening. "What are your plans should we succeed?"

"Oh, well, I…" Her voice trailed off. _Surely he was not implying…?_ He stayed quiet, waiting for an answer, so she took a breath. "Go home, I suppose." Something started to close off in his face, but his expression steadied back out as she shrugged. "To be happy."

His chin tilted down as his eyes grew lighter. "You said it did not have to be Bag End."

"I did."

She remained still as his free hand reached out to touch the braid at her temple. A smile began to play at the corners of his mouth though his eyes remained serious and intent. "Bella-."

"And what's this then?"

Her eyes squeezed closed as Nori's voice piped up behind her. Thorin bowed his head over her hand before stepping away. She laced her fingers together, bringing her clasped hands up under her chin as she watched him make his way over to Dwalin and Balin. Then she cast her gaze skyward as she drew in a deep breath before turning to face Nori, her hands falling to her sides as she turned. "I'm not sure whether to complain about your timing or compliment you for it."

"Dori's finishing his pack and about to head this way," he offered with a sharp grin.

"In that case, you have excellent timing," she replied, relief pitching her voice higher than normal. Over his shoulder she spotted the eldest of her brothers walked towards them. "And I think I'll go see how Ori's chronicle is coming along." Her steps carried her over to their younger brother as fast as she could go without actually running. She repressed a wince as she heard Nori start snickering.

Bella sat down beside Ori who offered her a distracted smile as he continued to write out whatever thoughts passed through his mind. He lost his original journal in Mirkwood and she hoped he would get it back. The accuracy of his story meant a lot to him.

"Everyone up!" Thorin's voice rang out. "One last climb." A glint in his eyes glimmered in her direction as she huffed at him stealing her words. Her cheeks grew pink as she walked past him to the stone face. He followed her as she began to climb. His hands kept her from slipping during the frightening scramble up the face of the cliff. A hissing sigh of relief slipped from her lips as she reached the top. She stumbled into a clear space of ground surrounded by rock. She could hear the Dwarves clambering up behind her, but her eyes stayed focused on the stony walls. No marks, no cracks…nothing indicated the presence of any door. The Company gathered around, staring at the walls as if expecting something to happen.

"Are we sure this is it?" Nori asked, walking up to the wall and running his hands along it. "There's nothing here."

Glóin folded his arms over his chest. "There's nowhere else to go. No more steps, no anything."

"Well I don't see any sign of a door." Nori tapped on the rock with a spoon, listening for any change of the sound. "Don't hear any either."

"There wouldn't be steps unless they were leading to something," Bombur pointed out.

"Unless it's a trick," the thief shrugged.

"This is the place," Thorin announced. His voice prompted the others to silence.

The Dwarves continued looking for a door or a keyhole, but Bella stood off to the side, trying to remember the words revealed to them back in Rivendell. "Stand by the grey stone," she murmured, "when the thrush knocks." Silence fell as she spoke, but she noted it only in passing. Her thoughts turned to that midsummer's night when Elrond first read the moon-letters. She rubbed her temples, trying to bring the memory clear. "Stand by the grey stone," she repeated, "when the thrush knocks and the setting sun with the last light of Durin's Day will shine upon the keyhole." Her head came up. "That's it."

"What's it?"

She jumped and then spun around to smack Dwalin's arm. "Don't do that!" she exclaimed. He raised a brow at her, glancing between her and his arm. Her lips folded as she rolled her eyes. "Oh, be quiet."

"He didn't say anything," Ori frowned.

"Not out loud," she agreed, making a face at the tall Dwarf, "but his face said plenty."

"Bella," Thorin interrupted the conversation before Dwalin could speak. She looked over to their leader and he gave her a patient though questioning look. "What did you figure out?"

"Hmm? Oh!" She waved one hand as if to drive off the momentary confusion. "The runes said 'the last light of Durin's Day'…we must be waiting for sunset." Her shoulders lifted in a small shrug. "At least, that's how it sounds to me."

Balin and Thorin exchanged a look before nodding. "You are likely correct, my lady," the elder agreed, reaching out to touch the wall. "Dwarf doors are not meant to be seen when shut."

A soft snort came from one side of the clearing as Bifur knocked on the mountainside with a fist. He murmured something to Bombur. The large Dwarf shook his head, eyes all but disappearing as he smiled. "He says we should have guessed a lady like this would be careful with her secrets…even with her own people."

Amusement glimmered in Thorin's gaze, driving away the anxiety once more. "And Erebor has many secrets," he chuckled. "We've waited this long and sunset is not far off."

The Dwarves gathered in small groups to talk, mostly family units, with Glóin and Thorin joining their cousins. Bella moved over beside her brothers, not talking, but relaxing in their company. Clouds gathered as the sun dipped towards the horizon and an agonized hush fell over them. Then a bird flew over their heads and swooped down. It rose with a snail caught in its beak only to land on a grey stone near the mountainside. Everyone watched as it began to hit the snail against the rock, working to crack the shell.

"Stand by the grey stone when the thrush knocks," Thorin quoted.

A red-gold shaft of sunlight, the color of forge at full strength, pierced the clouds and touched the mountain as if in a goodnight caress. "There," Bella breathed out, not daring to raise her voice above a whisper. "Look there!" The Dwarves followed the line of her finger and gave a near unified gasp as a keyhole appeared in the previously solid rock face.

Thorin stared at the spot for a long moment before turning to glance at Bella. She offered him a shaky smile, vibrating with the tension she could feel pulsing in the clearing. One slow turn brought him back to face the stone and he inserted the key into the keyhole. It turned with a click. They could hear mechanical gears moving behind the rock and everyone held their breath as he reached out to touch the rock. He pushed against the stone and part of the mountain moved, swinging back to reveal a dark opening.

"Erebor."

The awe in Thorin's voice caused Bella's heart to clench – in a good way. Tears of joy pooled in her eyes as she saw his strong hands tremble from emotion. His expression filled with a fierce longing, but she watched as he paused on the threshold as if he feared this to be a dream – a dream the heartless reality would snatch from him.

Balin stepped up beside him. "Thorin-." Then he choked on his own tears.

Thorin put a hand on his shoulder, a shared look of understanding passing between them. Then the exiled King crossed the threshold, returning home after a long, cruel banishment. "I know these walls," he whispered. Bella moved inside as the others seemed frozen in a mix of shock and disbelief. He managed a smile for her. "These walls, this stone…" His hand reached out to take hers. Feeling the light shaking of his fingers, she wrapped his hand in both of hers as they watched the others enter, slow and wide-eyed as each one reached out to touch the walls with hesitant fingers.

"You remember it, Balin," Thorin looked at his oldest friend though he never released his grip on Bella. "Chambers filled with golden light."

"I remember."

Bella shifted closer to Thorin at the weight of memory evident in the older Dwarf's voice. None of the others marked the movement as their attention centered on the mountain itself, but Thorin glanced down. His smile gentled and he released her hand only to move his grip to her shoulder. "Thank you, Bella," he murmured, bending his head close to hers.

"Look." Nori's voice drew everyone's attention before she could reply. He pointed to a carving above the door.

Glóin spoke next, translating the words of the inscription. "Herein lies the seventh kingdom of Durin's Folk. May the heart of the mountain unite all Dwarves in defense of this home."

The Dwarves stared in silent appreciation, but Bella glanced up to Thorin, a question clear in her eyes.

He smiled down at her. "It's the throne," he explained. "The throne of the king."

"And what's that above it?"

Balin moved over to stand beside them. "It's the Arkenstone, my lady," he replied.

"Arkenstone?" She tilted her head in question. "And what's that?"

Thorin stood close enough she could feel his chest expand as he drew in a deep breath. "That, Master Burglar, is why you are here."


	18. Into the Dragon's Lair

_Author's Note: I hope this isn't too choppy or too repetitive, but I didn't think any of this should be skipped. This is the last chapter that readers of "There and Back Again" will recognize. Everything from here out will be brand new for my Bella. I do plan to extend this story past the time covered by BoFTA and according to my current chapter line up, we are not halfway finished yet. Hope you stay with me!_

 **Into the Dragon's Lair**

Three voices rose in ferocious denial.

Bella blinked as all three of her brothers began fussing, arguing…even making threats. No one interfered, not even Dwalin. She glanced around, brow creasing in confusion, and Glóin leaned over, keeping his voice low. "They're your kin now, lass, as if you'd been born to the same mother," he explained. "As such, they've the right to argue. We don't usually send a female into such danger." He paused when her eyes began to spark. "Now, don't fuss," he continued with a smile. "We don't have many females. After all, of all of us, only Thorin there has a sister."

"Oh…I had not realized." Bella found it difficult to picture. Most Hobbit families balanced out between male and female sooner or later. If any family might be known for one gender or the other, that only lasted a generation or two before things turned around.

"Aye," Dwalin huffed, leaning against the wall and folding his arms over his chest. "So we've got a bit of a reason to be stubborn about keeping them safe."

"But…I agreed…"

"Before you became one of us, my lady," Balin noted as he walked up beside her. "You were…well, I hate to say a hireling, but I suppose that fits best." His beard quivered as he made a face. "Then you became a Companion and friend." Then he directed a soft smile towards the ongoing argument. "And now you're a sister. They could no more let you go without raising a fuss than the sun could set without rising."

Bifur muttered something and Bombur nodded. "Thorin thinks they're right," the large Dwarf pointed out in his quiet voice. "If he thought they were wrong, he'd be invoking his authority."

"Alright, then," she nodded. "I guess it's up to me." The males frowned, but none hindered her as she strode forward. "Enough!" She forced her way between Thorin and her brothers, facing the three though she remained quite aware of just how close Thorin stood behind her. "That's enough," she repeated, dropping her voice to a gentle tone. Three pairs of unhappy eyes stared back at her. "This is why I came, remember?" Dori went to open his mouth but she kept talking. "And I know you would prevent this, and I can't tell you how much it means to me that you would protest, but Thorin already tried to offer me a chance to back out. I refused." She felt as if the entire room had stilled, holding its breath as all eyes turned to her. "Please…send me forth with your blessing, and let me do this."

None of them looked happy, but after a moment Dori stepped forward and pulled her into a hug. "Go," he choked. "Be careful."

She turned to face Thorin, her chin lifting with resolve. "I'm ready."

He took a deep breath, but no words came. After a moment he shook his head and stepped forward, taking her shoulders in his hands. She lifted her hands to clasp his forearms. Bella thought she heard some shuffling behind her, but not one of her brothers said a word. Thorin bowed his head. "Mahal go with you, Bella," he managed before lowering his forehead to hers for a brief breath of time.

He released her, allowing his advisor to take her arm. "This way, my lady."

Balin led her into the tunnel, the Dwarf walking with the confidence of someone in their own home while she tripped along behind him. Her anxiety had spiked when they left the others behind. For some reason the thought that she would be doing this part alone had never truly entered her mind. Yes, in an intellectual sort of way, she knew no one could accompany her, but to do it? To leave Thorin and her brothers behind? Fear coiled in her stomach, sharper than ever. The first breaking of the Company at Laketown had been bad enough. This…

This scared her.

"You want me to find a jewel?" Not the smartest of questions, but Bella needed to break the silence somehow before her nerves got the better of her and she fled back up the tunnel and into the sunlight.

"Yes," the older Dwarf agreed. "A large white jewel."

"That's it?" she frowned. "I imagine there are…quite a few down there."

"There's only one Arkenstone." His words held a sense of finality about them. Something a person could not question. "You'll know it when you see it."

"Right." _That is not helpful._

He pointed her towards the direction she needed to go and then turned to leave. Then he paused and she cocked an eyebrow as he glanced back at her. "In truth, my lady, I do not know what you will find down there." His shoulders straightened. "You needn't go if you don't want to. There is no dishonor in turning back."

Not two breaths earlier, she had been ready to flee, but now that he put the offer in front of her… She could not do it. "No, Balin," Bella shook her head. "I promised I would do this and I think I must try."

A small smile curved his lips and then he chuckled. "It never ceases to amaze me."

"What's that?"

"The courage of Hobbits," Balin replied. "Go no, my lady, with as much luck as you can muster." Bella nodded and started down the tunnel only to glance back as he called out a final bit of advice. "Oh, and Bella…if there is, in fact, a live dragon down there? Don't waken it."

She drew in a deep breath, the warning all the more potent for his use of her name, and headed for Smaug's lair. The darkness seemed to swallow her, but at the far end of the hallway she could see some kind of light. Silent steps took her towards that glimmering light and she walked through a doorway into a great hall. The proportions of the room were massive, making her feel small and insignificant in comparison. She looked up, trying to see the ceiling, but her steps faltered at the sheer distance. The dizziness caused her to stumble and fall into the wall beside her. Her hands flattened against the stone and she let her eyes fall closed before moving to press her forehead to the wall.

 _Courage, Bella._ The shadows seemed to press against her, reminding her of her solitary state. _You have to try._

 _ **Daughter of my beloved, you are not alone.**_

Her eyes opened and she peered around for a moment before looking back to where her hands rested against the inner walls of the mountain. _Mahal…_ The thought trailed off as a sense of awe spilled through her.

 _ **Child of earth, you are welcome here.**_ Warmth began to blossom beneath her hands and feet, growing up from the stone to wind about her until she felt embraced by the power she could now feel flowing through the mountain itself. But something felt wrong, like a piece of music out of beat with the rest of the song. Her heart wanted to weep for the wound it could feel in that sound. _**Your compassion may yet defeat the evil which seeks to rule here. Long has it slept, but other minds seek to use it. Would you heal that which has been sundered?**_

 _Yes._ Her answer required no thought at all. She could feel the pain in that deep voice and she remembered the sorrow of her Dwarves as they spoke of their lost home. There would be no other path for her but one that made things right.

 _ **You are truly the daughter of your Mother.**_ His approval washed through her and that warmed her more than the power of the stone which still embraced her. _**Your Mother is my heart and my beloved, so I too have some small claim to you. Go forward, my daughter, knowing you are not alone. Let your compassion guide your steps.**_

The voice and the stone's power faded, but not the renewed sense of strength and hope flaring within her. She could do this…and she would. Bella pulled away from the stone, giving it one last pat. Though the shadows and darkness appeared as impenetrable as ever, she no longer felt like an outsider. Her steps grew in confidence as she turned into the light. She found herself at the top of a large staircase and her mouth dropped open.

Gold, jewels, weapons… Treasure beyond reckoning created a landscape of hills and valleys, a place of value beyond her ability to judge.

 _What would I do with even the tiniest portion of this?! Let alone a fourteenth of it!_

No matter where her eyes landed as they scanned the hall, she saw treasure. To the furthest her eyes could see – and from the look of things a great deal further – the hoard stretched and piled in some vast unknown quantity.

And what of its current keeper?

 _Focus, Belladonna. It does not do to go leaving a dragon out of your worries until you know for sure if he is here or gone…alive or dead._

Making her way down the steps proved easy enough, but one step on a nearby pile of gold almost undid her good work at keeping quiet. Her foot sank to mid-calf and sent coins scattering about. The clatter of noise caused her to duck her shoulders, eyes darting about for any sign of an irate dragon. She almost collapsed in relief when nothing and no one appeared to call her to task.

 _How am I supposed to do this?_

The clear stone would be perfect for Hobbit feet to move in silence, but she could not hope to move more than a handful of steps in either direction. She tried again and this time her balance betrayed her, sending her sliding down a small hill of treasure. When her slide stopped, she glanced back and her heart froze in her chest. Though still closed, she held no doubt – _that_ was the eye of a dragon.

Her hand scrabbled for her ring and it slid onto her finger just as that great eye opened, a piercing light even surrounded by the golden hoard. She watched as it moved, scanning the room. A blast of air from a giant nostril scattered yet more treasure and horror speared through her as she watched a large circle of gold begin to quiver and shake. Coins, jewels, cups, weapons, and many other precious objects tumbled and slid like river stones as Smaug shook himself awake and pulled free of his glittering bed.

"Well, thief," Smaug mused. "I smell you. I hear your breath." The musing tone moved into a low hiss. "Where are you?"

Invisible or not, Bella could not prevent her fear from sending her into motion as the dragon drew too close. She realized her error almost immediately as the creature turned to follow her flight, tracking the movement of the coins. Another slide brought her to a stone outcropping and she jumped behind it, holding her breath as the dragon's voice drew closer.

"Come along, don't be shy." No villain should sound so cultured. Despite the measured and civilized tone, she could hear something beneath that veneer, something animalistic hidden behind the silky voice. "Step into the light." The power of that voice pulled at her. _Yavanna… Mahal…_ A note of interest entered Smaug's tone. "There is something about you…something you carry. Something made of gold, yes, but far more…precious."

Bella could not hold back the gasp as a flaming eye burned through her mind. Pain shot through her and she yanked off the ring.

"There you are, thief in the shadows."

Her eyes locked with Smaug's as an eye taller than her focused on her. Mind racing, Bella shook her head. "I did not come to steal from you, O Smaug the Unassessably Wealthy. I merely wanted to gaze upon your magnificence, to see if the old tales were true." An apologetic smile curved her lips as she did her best to project admiration. "I did not believe them."

Smaug rumbled and stomped away, sliding between pillars until he could lift himself to his full height. She took the opportunity to tuck the ring out of sight. "And do you now?" he demanded, voice reverberating through the room.

"Truly," she spread her hands wide, "the tales and songs fall utterly short of your enormity, O Smaug the Stupendous."

He lowered his head, tilting it to peer at her. "Do you think flattery will keep you alive?"

"No, no of course not," she assured him. "There is little flattery to be found in truth, however."

"No, indeed," he agreed.

He moved around, peering at her from more than one angle. Treasure shifted and slid around in response to is movement. A bright light drew her eye as he curved around. She took a moment to glance over when his eyes left her for a brief moment. One large glowing white stone lay there, nestled in glittering silver-white fire. Balin's words came back to her - _"There's only one Arkenstone. You'll know it when you see it."_ That had to be it.

"You seem familiar with my name, but I don't remember smelling your kind before." Her attention swung back to Smaug just in time. His large eyes narrowed in consideration as they refocused on her. "Who are you, and where do you come from, may I ask?"

For a moment Bella thought to answer, but then a jolt of power from the stone beneath her feet went through her and she remembered one of her mother's stories. _Never give a dragon your name._ "I come from under the hill," she replied. "And under hill and over hill my path has led. And through the air." A small smile curved her lips. "I am she who walks unseen."

"Impressive." The dragon drew in close, his breath blowing past her. She fought a grimace at the smell. "What else do you claim to be?"

"I am the clue-finder, the stinging fly." Her voice grew stronger. "I am the friend of bears and the guest of eagles. I am Ringwinner and Luckwearer."

"Lovely titles." Dry sarcasm coated Smaug's voice. "Go on."

"I am Barrel-rider."

"Now _that_ is interesting." And Smaug did sound interested, which worried her. He peered down at her. "And what about the Dwarves? Where are they hiding?"

"Dwarves?" Her voice shook as she tried to force a note of surprise into her voice. "You are quite mistaken, O Smaug, Chiefest and Greatest of calamities."

"You have nice manners," Smaug commented. Bella might have taken it for a compliment had he not continued. "…for a thief and a liar!" His eyes glowed as did the spaces between his scales along his underbelly. "I know the smell and taste of Dwarf. No one knows it better. Did you think I did not know this day would come? A day when Dwarves would try crawling back to this mountain?"

Bella flinched back as Smaug drew his lips back in a snarl. She began to scramble back, remembering at the last moment to move towards the Arkenstone. Her eyes stayed with the dragon, trying not to let him know of her true target.

"Darkness is coming, little thief, and it will spread to every corner of the land. Oakenshield's quest shall fail and I shall feast on his flesh as I did his people!" He shifted around, slithering into the largest open space of the room. "You have been used, thief in the shadows! That coward weighed the measure of your life and found it worth…nothing!" The power of the dragon's voice clenched around her heart and she could feel despair beginning to build within her like ice water rushing through her body.

 _ **Stay strong, my daughter!**_

The memory of Dori's fierce hug bubbled to the surface of her mind, driving back the despair. Ori's shy smile and Nori's teasing voice followed it, giving her a little more warmth. Then Thorin's face flickered in her mind and some of her strength returned. "You're lying!"

"Did he promise you part of the treasure?" Fury coated the words as Smaug all but spit them out. "As if it were his to give!" He spread his wings as if putting them on display.

Her breath caught as she spotted an unexpected sight – a scale missing from the left side of Smaug's chest. "So it is true," she breathed out, her voice the lightest of whispers. "The black arrow found its mark."

"What did you say?" Smaug demanded.

"I was just saying…your reputation precedes you, oh Smaug the tyrannical." She backed away from him, her heart feeling like it might burst from her chest as she came within arm's reach of the Arkenstone. "Truly, you have no equal on this earth."

"I'm tempted to let you take it," the dragon rumbled. "To watch its power drive him mad when he finds it beyond his control." He gave himself a small shake. "But I think not. I have grown weary of this little game. Tell me, thief, how do you choose to die?"

She snatched up the Arkenstone and whatever piece of jewelry it rested upon. The golden light glinted off the string of jewels in her hand drawing Smaug's ire. The dragon's head streaked forward, lips pulled back and jaws open. Her finger slipped into the ring and dropped as Smaug's mouth closed above her head.

Smaug reared his head back, roaring his displeasure as his chest and throat began to glow. She reached solid stone as he began to fill the room with bellowing flames. Her feet had never moved faster as she scurried from the room and down a hallway, shoving stone and necklace into a pocket. Once she turned a couple of different corners she pulled off the ring and tucked it away. She leaned against the wall for a moment, listening to the echoes of the oversized temper-tantrum going on behind her.

 _The others….I have to warn them!_

She ran.

"Bella!"

Her steps faltered at the sound of her name and she slid to a stop, whirling to find Thorin staring at her. "What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"We heard rumbling," he replied, confusion and concern warring in his face.

"Yes, well, good news – I found the dragon." Her words flew from her mouth as she grabbed his arm and tried to drag him along. He planted his feet, refusing to follow. His stare never wavered, though a new horror filled it. After a moment she threw up her hands. "What?"

"You found him?"

"Yes, yes, I found him." A rumbling growl punctuated her words, interrupting anything Thorin might have said in reply. "And that would be the bad news – he's awake." Another growling snarl echoed through the mountain, hurting her ears. "Oh, and the worst news of all…" Her voice trailed away.

"Worse than him being awake?" Thorin muttered as he began to lead her down a tunnel.

"Well…yes?"

"What could be worse?" he grumbled.

Now a great trumpeting roar shoot the very stone beneath their feet. They froze and Thorin turned wide, disbelieving eyes on her.

She tried to smile but could only manage a grimace. "I…ah…I…do believe…I've managed to irritate him."

"What did you take?" His eyes narrowed on her and she could see that disturbing shadow crawling through them.

"Ah…" Her fingers brushed the stone, but something inside her shrank from showing him. Instead she dug deeper and pulled out the necklace. White stones created a glittering fire as they caught the muted glow and shot it back from every facet. "I don't even know why I grabbed it," she admitted.

He gave a soft huff of laughter. "Put it away, my little burglar." The shadow vanished as would smoke blown by a fresh breeze. "It will make a fine bargaining piece in dealing with Mirkwood." More growling and rumbling shouts came through the tunnel behind them. "If we survive the beast at any rate." Thorin grabbed her hand and began pulling her along behind him as he rushed away from the sounds of an enraged dragon.

They rounded a corner and found a deep golden glow ahead of them.

"Oh, that looks familiar," Bella panted. "That is _not_ the way we need to be going." Thorin did not seem to hear her and walked into the glowing light. "No, no, no," she moaned as she followed him. "This is a bad, bad, bad idea."

The Dwarf king stood as if transfixed.

"Thorin," she hissed, tugging at his sleeve. "We can't stay!" The sound of running feet drew her attention back to the hallway as the others came racing into the room. "May Yavanna, Mahal, and all the Valar together protect fools and the ones who lead them!" She put her hands on her hips, glaring at the Dwarves clustering around her. "We need to get out of here!"

A snarl echoed through the room and she spun to see Smaug approaching them over the hills of treasure. He roared, his chest beginning to glow. Then he rushed towards them. "You will burn!"

Fire billowed towards them and the Company jumped off the staircase, tumbling and sliding down a pile of treasure. They landed near the entrance of another tunnel. Dori hauled Bella and Ori to their feet. "Run!"

They fled down the tunnel, flames rushing after them.

Twist after turn and tunnel after tunnel followed. She felt like they might be forever lost in the shadows. Her sense of direction abandoned her as they had no time to stop and breathe. Thorin, near the front of the line, slowed to peer through an opening. The group gathered around him.

"Shh." Thorin held up a hand as he stepped out onto the bridge, looking around for any danger.

Dori followed. "We've given him the slip." Hope filled his voice, though he kept it at a whisper.

"He's too cunning for that," Dwalin disagreed in a low voice.

Bella moved up next to Dori, but her eyes fixed on Thorin. "Where do we go now?"

"The western guardroom." His gaze never stopped moving as he watched the shadows of the room. "There may be a way out."

"It's too high," Balin protested. "There's no chance that way."

"It's our only chance," Thorin insisted. He met the eyes of each member of the company before settling on Bella. Dread lurked there, shadowing his countenance, before a deep resolve burned it away. "We have to try."

Creeping across the bridge left her feeling exposed. Too many dark corners and shadows surrounded them, above and below and to either side. She followed Dori, almost stepping on his heels due to that feel of pressure. He tried to offer her a smile, but she could see the strain he felt. And yet she could not convince herself to pull back. Her heart fluttered in her chest, like a hummingbird desperate to escape a cage. Darkness stretched into an unimaginable distance and Smaug could be anywhere.

A gold coin clattered at her feet.

She flinched back as the sound seemed to magnify in the vast space. Thorin, Dori, and Glóin turned to look at her and she patted her jacket. All she could do was shake her head. Then a low rumble rolled in their ears and Bella traced the sound, her eyes moving up and up and up. Smaug's titanic form crawled past, his stomach gleaming with the flash of gold coins and gems. Everyone held their breath as he moved past, his large claws gouging deep streaks in the stone work.

Thorin waved them to keep moving.

And onward they ran.

"Stay close," Thorin ordered as they hurried down a hallway.

The Company burst into a larger room, but they stopped, some stumbling as they realized what it held. Corpses filled the room. Males, females, children… Dwarf corpses of every kind lay together, covered with dust and cobwebs. Bella's eyes glistened with tears as she took in the sight. No words could ever describe the lingering feel of terror, desperation, and loss of hope which hung in the air.

"That's it then," Dwalin muttered. "There's no way out."

"The last of our kin." Balin's voice held a deep sorrow. "They must have come here, hoping beyond hope." Everyone remained silent as Thorin moved forward, a dazed expression in his eyes. "We could try to reach the mines," the advisor offered. "We might last a few days."

"No." A small quiver shook Thorin's voice. "I will not die like this. Cowering, clawing for breath." His tone strengthened, becoming hard and determined as he continued. "We make for the forges."

"He'll see us." Dwalin folded his arms as he gave his warning. "Sure as death."

"Not if we split up."

"Thorin," Balin shook his head. "We'll never make it."

"Some of us might," the king disagreed. The light of battle flared in his eyes. "Lead him to the forges. We kill the dragon." His gaze swept the Company. "If this is to end in fire," he growled, "then we will all burn together."

Dwalin moved to his side. The two of them began to talk, trying to come up with a workable plan.

Bella stared at the room in dismay, pressing her hands to her cheeks. "So many," she murmured in a broken voice, shock shining in her eyes. "So many." A tear spilled down her cheek.

A shudder ran through the arm curled around her shoulder and then she felt herself being pulled back. "Turn away," Nori whispered into her ear. "That's enough now." She followed his lead, burying her face in his chest. His arms tightened around her and she felt another hand – Dori's from the size – brushing across her hair while a smaller hand – Ori's – touched her arm. They stood together listening as Thorin and Dwalin worked out their plan. The small family remained close and silent until Thorin joined them.

"We're splitting up," he told them. His voice remained hushed in the stillness of the air, but it held a firm resolve as well.

"We heard." Emotion thickened Dori's voice. He paused and after a moment she felt Nori's chin move beside her head in a nod. "Bella?" She moved her head so she could see Dori. He reached out and tugged on a braid. "Are you ready?"

Her hands clutched Nori's tunic for a moment before she forced herself to take a deep breath and step away from him. She straightened her shoulders and turned to face Thorin. Nori's hands came to rest on her shoulders as Dori and Ori moved in to her left and right. "I'm ready," she replied, keeping her eyes fixed on Thorin.

"You come with me and Balin," he told her. She nodded and he shifted his gaze to Nori. "Go with Dwalin." Then he glanced between Dori and Ori. "You two take Bombur. Bifur and Glóin will make up the fourth group." He began to turn away, paused, and turned back. His eyes settled on Bella for a long moment before flickering to Ori. Then he looked at Dori. "If I could get them out…" His voice trailed off and he shook his head.

"I know." Dori heaved a sigh. "Young or not, they made their choices…and I won't begrudge them that right."

Thorin gave a sharp nod and walked over to join Balin and Dwalin.

Dori looked at them, a sheen in his eyes. He started to talk and choked up. After clearing his throat, he tried again. "I'm proud of you," he told them. Nori's hands tightened on Bella's shoulders and Dori fixed his gaze on his brother. "Yes, even of you." He pulled Bella into one of his enveloping hugs. "We only had you for a short time, but I would not have missed it." He let her go, leaning down to tap his forehead to hers with a gentle push. Then Nori and Ori each gave her a hug and a soft tap of the forehead. With one last smile, Dori pushed her towards Thorin. "Go on now," he nodded. "It's time."

Bella lifted her chin and strode towards Thorin and Balin. If she looked back… No, she couldn't look back because she might break down and they needed her strong now. Balin offered her a supportive smile and Thorin put his hand on her shoulder, squeezing it in quick acknowledgement.

Thorin looked up and let his gaze pass over the company. From Bella's viewpoint, it looked like he met the eyes of each and every member of the company present at this moment. Then he looked at her.

"Let's end this."


	19. To Deal with a Dragon

_Author's Note: Sorry for the long absence. Things have been a bit hectic and words just did not want to come to me. Or they would come to me, but never when I could write them down. This chapter will follow the movie for the most part, but after this chapter, things start going a bit differently than either book or movie canon. Again, I am indebted to the transcripts done by the folks at . Blessings to all of you!_

 **To Deal with a Dragon**

Thorin, Bella, and Balin went first, moving with cautious speed onto the bridge they had used earlier. If Smaug came out of hiding then the other three groups would come out in a bid to distract the dragon and allow them to build up enough of a head start to reach the forges without too much trouble. And it almost worked. The dragon did appear out of the darkness, taunting them as he did so. The rest of the Company proved excellent distractions, though Bella flinched as she heard a burst of flame behind them, sparing a moment to send up a hope that none of her brothers or friends had been lost in their flight. Despite the valiant effort, the dragon did not remain distracted however.

Smaug would not give up his chance at Thorin Oakenshield.

The three of them fled down a large hallway, Thorin in the lead and followed by Bella, then Balin.

"It's this way!" Bella pulled up short, glancing back to see Balin standing beside a smaller side tunnel. He waved them back, calling out, "This way! Come on!"

She whirled around. "Thorin!"

The leader of the Company turned and took a couple of steps towards them. Then he stopped, his eyes shifting to the far end of the hall. Bella looked back and felt renewed fear shoot through her as Smaug stalked towards them. She turned back to Thorin. He shook his head as he began to run again. "Follow Balin!"

"Thorin!" Bella cried as Balin pulled her into the side tunnel just as flames shot past the opening. She twisted away from the heat, her heart clenching in terror as the scorching heat of the very air itself. Balin drew her further down the tunnel and she followed, trying not to stumble as her mind and heart paid little attention to the movement of her feet. They remained focused on the Dwarf they left behind. _Thorin…._

A few more turns brought them into a large room filled with all kinds of mechanical things – chains and wheels and great vats and much more besides. She would never be able to describe the room with any kind of detail. Too many things lay beyond her ken. Balin searched the room, pausing every now and then before shaking his head and moving on. Bella paid little attention. She walked over to one of the plain stone walls and placed her hands against it, flattening her palms and resting her forehead on the cool rock as her thoughts continued to circle on her…

What did she call him? How should she think of him? Her leader? Her companion? Her friend? Watching Thorin run, knowing he drew the dragon away from them, ripped away a comforting blanket of self-illusion. _You are such a goose, Belladonna Lily Baggins!_ When had her feelings for Thorin begun to change? Could she even pinpoint a time?

When had admiration and friendship blended and deepened into an emotion she never expected to feel?

Bella had suitors in the past, of course. A gentlehobbit with such a large inheritance as hers would hardly be allowed to spend her life in quiet solitude without one Hobbit or another trying to win her favor. She had never been drawn to any of them. Yes, she had feared her wealth might be all they wanted, but more than that. Bella wanted the type of love she had witnessed in her parents - a sacrificial love, willing to reach across boundaries. A union that balanced strengths and weaknesses and a love that could accept her without trying to force her into some preexisting mold. Even in her most proper Baggins form, she never fit the true Hobbit matron ideal. And now this?

 _Could I possibly have worse timing?_ The thought brought a tear-laden huff of amusement. Even that faded as she offered up a quick prayer. _Green Lady, Great Smith…strengthen us, shield us, guard us, keep us._

The clatter of feet brought her head around and she smiled as Dori, Bombur, and Ori came running into the room. "You're alright!" she exclaimed, throwing herself at her eldest brother.

"So far," he agreed, catching her up in one of his massive hugs. "So far."

She managed to give Ori a hug as well before Dwalin dashed inside. He glanced around as if counting before focusing on his brother. Balin shook his head, a hint of defeat in his face. The taller Dwarf bit off a phrase. Though she had no idea what he might have said, Dori's sideways glance told her it had probably not been the politest of comments. Her lips almost twitched in amusement despite the fear and gloom hanging over them. Of all times to be worried about propriety.

 _Only Dori._

Nori and Thorin rushed in and Bella almost collapsed against Ori. The young Dwarf looked at her with concern, but she shook her head. She did not want to try and explain the rush of relief that swamped her when she saw him. Grateful as she felt to see her third brother as yet unharmed, it had not been Nori's face that she sought. And what would she say anyway?

' _I think I may possibly be in love with Thorin Oakenshield?' Dori would have a fit._

Thorin turned his head, scanning the room. His eyes paused on her, that intent gaze doing a quick sweeping check as if to assure him of her wellbeing. She could feel her cheeks growing warm under his stern regard.

"The plan's not going to work," Dwalin announced as he strode forward to meet his king. "These furnaces are stone cold."

"He's right," Balin agreed when Thorin turned to him. "We've no fire hot enough to set them ablaze."

Frustration shown in Thorin's face for a brief moment before he glanced back at Bella. He stared at her for a moment and then blinked as his expression lightened. Something wild and reckless gleamed in his eyes, something that reminded her of Kíli – or worse, something that reminded her of some of the younger Tooks right before they offered up an insane idea. An idea that usually began with the phrase, 'I wonder what would happen if…?'

 _Uh, oh…_

"Have we not?" Thorin breathed. He stalked back to the pillars through which he had just come, glaring back towards the space beyond. "I did look to see you so easily outwitted!"

 _Oh, dear…_

The other Dwarves stared at their leader in shock, but Bella winced as she heard the sound of cracking stone, as if great claws clutched at the rock and squeezed tight in anger.

"You have grown slow and fat in your dotage!" Thorin taunted.

 _That's not going to go over at all well._

Bella could not say why she did not grow more upset or terrified at whatever rash plan Thorin seemed to be following. Perhaps the thought of her mother's approving laughter? Belladonna would have liked the Dwarf king's audacity. While the others stared at him in disbelief, she shifted until she could see Smaug and could catalogue his responses. He looked furious.

"Slug."

The dragon swelled up and she could see that bright orange-yellow glow building up between his scales. If their leader wanted his foe angry beyond words, then he had certainly succeeded in his task.

Thorin turned around, smug satisfaction clear in his face. "Take cover." His quick turn and bracing against one of the pillars belied his calm, matter-of-fact tone. Bella rushed for another pillar as he shouted at the others. "Go!"

She might have been protected from the actual flames, but the heat and pressure of the air felt as though it seared her skin. Her eyes squeezed shut against the scalding feel of that fiery blast rushing past her. The very air burned. A cry of pain escaped her lips before she could repress it. The air seemed grow thin, as if the fire devoured it, and she gasped, trying to breathe. Hot air hurt her throat. Every moment of time seemed to stretch out forever.

 _Let it end! Please let it end!_

At long last the flames stopped and she remained still, her focus on pulling in the cooler air. The sound of crackling fires continued and she cracked her eyes open to see the great forges alight. Her feet moved her forward, awe growing in her spirit as she stared at the huge machines.

Smaug crashed into the columns.

 _Dragon, Bella. There's still a dragon to worry about._ The wry tone in her mental voice made her grimace. Thank goodness no one else could hear her mental dialogue.

"Bombur!" Thorin's order drew her attention and she moved towards him as he spoke to the large Dwarf. "Get those bellows working!" Smaug slammed into the columns again, drawing everyone's attention. Thorin glanced over before focusing back on getting his people into position. "Go!" he shouted at Bombur.

The large Dwarf ran and jumped, grabbing a chain next to one of the forges. She watched for a moment as he disappeared, the chain moving with his weight. A moment later the furnace glowed with blue flames. The dragon continued his assault on the columns, bending and warping them with his attacks.

Thorin turned to her. "Bella!" She rushed to his side and he put one hand on her shoulder while using the other to point to a higher ledge. "Up there." Her eyes followed his finger to see a lever. "On my mark, pull that lever." She nodded and he squeezed her shoulder as the ghost of a smile flit over his face, the warm approval and confidence clear in his gaze.

Bella rushed towards the stairs and began making her way up to the ledge as Thorin continued directing others behind her. Part of her mind paid attention to the action behind her, trying to keep track of Thorin and her brothers.

"Balin, can you still make some flash-flame?" Thorin's voice sounded full of confidence.

"Aye," agreed the elder. "It'll only take a jiffy." Glancing back as the stairs turned, Bella saw Balin grabbing Dori and Ori. "Come on!" The three Dwarves ran out of sight.

Smaug's clawed fingers pushed into the room, bending the columns to make an entrance and Dwalin's voice reached her next, low though it was. "We don't have a jiffy." His prediction proved true as the dragon forced his way into the furnace room. His head swung around as he scanned the room. Bella reached the top of the ledge and stared up at the lever.

 _Must every other race be some silly height instead of a nice normal Hobbit size?!_

A growl drew her attention and her eyes went wide with horror as Smaug walked towards her. Then he stopped and his eyes shifted. The dragon snarled, his lips peeling back as his fury surged. She risked looking away to see his new target – Thorin. The Dwarf king stood there, shoulders back and chin raised as he stared down his foe. Smaug's scales began to glow and a yellow light glowed deep in his throat. Bella could feel her entire body shaking. She knew there had to be a chance of success; Yavanna and Mahal would not have been encouraging her all this time if there were no chance. But more than that, she knew that a chance was all they had – they had no guarantee.

Bella dragged her eyes away from the dragon and focused on Thorin. Whatever happened in the next few minutes, she would not spend it watching for whatever end Smaug had planned. She waited, only noticing in her periphery as the red-gold scales glinted and reflected firelight back against the walls.

Thorin's eyes met her and their gazes locked.

One breath.

A second.

"Now!"

He shouted the order and she jumped, catching the lever and pulling it down with all her weight. Water burst out of the wall beside the ledge, shooting from the mouths of carved faces. It slammed into Smaug, knocking him aside and extinguishing his flames. Steam filled part of the room, hot steam created when the water and fire collided and fought for supremacy. The dragon roared in his rage, flapping his wings and thrashing about in wild confusion. After a few moments, the water settled and began to run large watermills. Bella looked around, taking in the new movement of gears that moved lines of ropes overhead. Each of those lines held metal buckets of some kind. She shook her head and focused on climbing down from the ledge, doing her best to keep an eye on Smaug as she went.

For his part, he appeared more intent on getting to Thorin.

Small flashes of blue light began to appear near his head. Bella could see Balin, Ori, and Dori tossing some small round shapes at the dragon and they exploded as they hit his scales. He paid no attention – he just kept stalking towards the Dwarf king. Then a line of the buckets fell on him, their weight shoving him to the ground. A roar burst from him, fury in every note.

Thorin ran over to one of the furnaces and pulled on a great chain. She watched a bright, molten gold flowed from their fiery hearts and began to rush through the troughs cut into the floor.

The dragon continued to thrash, his legs and wings tangled in ropes and buckets. His claws flashed as he seemed to fight the air itself to break free and one of the many lines overhead snapped. Buckets fell to the ground, spilling out their loads as they crashed. Bifur and Glóin rolled out of two of them.

"Lead him to the Gallery of the Kings!"

The order brought Bella's attention back to Thorin, and her eyes lost track of Smaug for a moment as she assured herself of her leader's wellbeing. She should have been a bit more careful. The dragon's tail shot around, crashing against the stone beneath her feet. Bella stumbled as the rock cracked and shifted. Just as she thought the stairs might hold…it gave way. Her vision spun as she tumbled along with the bits and pieces of rock. Pebbles and gravel scratched her skin as she fell, but she managed to hit the ground in a roll. She picked herself up, staggering as she tried to find her balance. Smaug spotted her and snarled.

"Keep going, Bella!" Thorin shouted back to her. She spotted him on his wheelbarrow-turned-boat as the golden river carried him out of the room. "Run!"

Bella took off, hearing Smaug following behind her. Her path led to a long stone decline and she slid down it. Crashing sounds echoed behind her as the dragon knocked over who knew what in his pursuit. The next flat surface came up faster than she expected, but she managed to roll up to her feet and continue running. She hurried through a door and found herself in a long hall with huge, long banners hanging over every bit of wall space. At any other time she would have stopped to stare and examine them, enthralled with the culture they displayed, but right now she had no room to even breathe.

Smaug burst through the wall behind her.

Rocks bounced around her and she tried to outrun them, desperate in her speed. Something shoved her to the ground. The air all but burst from her chest as she hit. Her sight went dark as her attacker covered her and a small gasp of relief slipped free as she realized her covering was a banner.

"You think you could deceive me, Barrel-rider?"

She crawled forward to peer out from beneath the edge of the material and found Smaug sneering at her.

"You have come from Laketown," the dragon snarled. "There is some scheme hatched between those filthy Dwarves and those miserable Lakemen. Those sniveling cowards with their longbows and their black arrows!" Something akin to fear shook his voice for a moment. "Perhaps it is time I paid them a visit."

Her eyes widened as he turned away. "Oh, no," she gasped. She struggled free from the banner and ran after him. "This isn't their fault!" she insisted. "Wait! You cannot go to Laketown." Smaug glanced back at her as she pleaded with him.

"You care about them, do you?" he taunted. "Then you can watch them die."

Bella's heart clenched as he strode down the hall. _No! No…Yavanna, Mahal, please no!_

"Here, you witless worm!"

The taunting voice drew a snarl from the dragon and he changed directions. "You!" Smaug growled. Bella made it around the corner and spotted Thorin standing on top of a great stone structure bound in bands and chains. It looked like the rough shape of a Dwarf, as if someone started to create a sculpture from rock but left before chiseling the bare outline of a form.

Now Thorin stood upon it, proud and resolute as he glared down at the red scaled form of his oldest nightmares. She held her breath as he spoke once more. "I am taking back what you stole."

"You would take nothing from me, Dwarf." Smaug stalked towards him. "I laid low your warriors of old." He began to draw himself upward. "I instilled terror in the hearts of Men." The great head came level with the Dwarf king. "I am King under the Mountain."

"This is not your kingdom," Thorin repudiated the dragon's boasts. "These are Dwarf lands," he declared. "This is Dwarf gold." He reached out for a nearby rope. "And we will have our revenge!" The king yanked on the rope. Wooden bands and chains fell away from the stone form. After a moment even more of the chains fell away, though Bella only noticed that from the corner of her eye as most of her attention followed Thorin as he swung away on a rope. Crashing stone and the glint of gold drew her eyes back to the end of the hall.

A giant golden statue of a Dwarf king stood there, gleaming and shining in the dim light. Smaug seemed captivated by this golden form that stood taller than he himself. He moved closer and she could see is mouth falling open as if in awe. Bella waited, her gaze shifting from the statue to Thorin and her brothers before sliding back to Smaug. _Please let this work._ Then it started – the eye of the Dwarf statue seemed to pulse and weaken like an unfired clay pot in the rain. Liquid gold burst out and the rest of the statue followed suit. It dissolved and flowed towards Smaug even as the dragon tried to scrabble backwards. He could not move fast enough. The hot liquid overtook him, knocking him over and smothering him as it filled the entire lowered portion of the floor.

Everything settled into silence.

Her eyes remained fixed on the golden pool as it settled in the gallery. Long moments passed and she could feel her muscles begin to relax. A small relieved smile began to curve her lips as she sought to see Thorin across the long expanse of the hall.

Then the pool's surface gushed upwards as Smaug leapt out, bellowing his anger and pain to the sky. "Revenge?" he screamed as fear shot through Bella's heart. "Revenge? I will show you revenge!"

Despite the weight of the liquid gold, he ran down the hallway and out of sight. Bella could hear the crash of stone and she raced after him, following the path of destruction he left in his wake. Her path led her out of the gates and up to the top of a large chunk of stone. She fell to her knees as she watched the massive bulk of the dragon soaring towards the helpless village.

His voice echoed back to her in the still night air. "I am fire," he growled. "I am….death."

Bella lifted her hands to cover her mouth as tears pooled in her eyes and slid down her cheeks in ribbons of despair.

"Yavanna…" She choked back a sob. "Mahal… What have we done?"


	20. The Deep Breath Before the Plunge

_Author's Note: Okay, so this chapter has been thought through and rewritten more than once because I couldn't quite decide how to arrange the thing. Hopefully you enjoy. This is also the chapter where things get even more off canon because I prefer to live in an AU world now that the movies have made me fall in love with certain characters._

 **The Deep Breath Before the Plunge**

"Bella!"

She heard the shout, heard her name echoing in the night air, but she could not pull her attention away from the dark speck speeding toward the unprotected and unaware village of men. Her hands pressed into her stomach as if to push away the knot that curled within her – cold fear and turbulent grief coiled together, feeding on one another as she waited. Would she be able to hear the screams from here? Such horrible thoughts raced through her mind and the tears continued to spill down her cheeks.

"Bella!" Dori's hands grabbed shoulders and she felt herself being turned to face him. "Bella, are you hurt?"

"What have we done?" she demanded of him, not fighting his hold as her eyes tried to focus through the pooling grief. "Smaug is… He's…" Words tangled in her throat and choked her voice. She shook her head before she leaned forward to rest her forehead against his chest. Her voice dropped to a whisper. 'What have we done?"

"Mahal…" Ori's shocked gasp drew her eyes, but his attention centered on the distant lake.

She pulled away from Dori and turned. Orange and yellow blazed in the dark night. Bella flinched back from the sight, her shoulders pressing back against Dori's chest. A heavy weight settled on her chest as she tried to breathe. Her imagination painted horrific images of fire and terror as she stood in safety, surrounded by the Company and watching Laketown burn. She could not decide what was worse – watching the town burn…or the weight of silence hanging over the image.

"Poor souls." Balin's voice broke the stillness. His tone, too, hung heavy in the night air.

Bella glanced around and found everyone standing nearby, their eyes filled with mingled sorrow and horror as they stared out over the lake. Thorin alone seemed torn. His gaze swept between Erebor and Laketown and she could see the struggle on his face. She did not know how, but somehow Bella knew that Thorin fought his most difficult battle at this very moment. Despite Smaug or Azog or anything else they had faced along the way, his inmost being now faced a deciding test. Her brow furrowed in thought as she tried to figure it out.

 _ **Now, daughter!**_ The masculine voice, redolent with the sound of hammers, rolled through her. _**You must tip the balance now if the new born hope is to flourish. His heart must be called back.**_

 _But how can I possibly…_ "Oh!" Her gasp shattered the frozen tableau and everyone spun to face her – even Thorin. Her hands flew up to cover her mouth, but she forced herself to pull them away. Wide, fear-filled eyes scanned the group before focusing on Thorin. He moved towards her, her disquiet seeming to pull at him.

He drew close to where she stood with Dori. "Bella?"

"What about the others?" She stepped away from her brother, one hand clutching at Thorin's sleeve. "Fíli and Kíli…"

Bombur's soft voice came in hard and fast. "Bofur."

"And Óin," Glóin added.

The Company moved in around her as if they could ward off evil with their very unity. Bella's eyes never left Thorin. His face grew grim as the skin around his eyes tightened. Something dark wavered and fought in his visage, but then a light blazed in his gaze. His expression cleared and she could almost see a weight falling away from his shoulders. A tremor ran through him. Then, as if the change freed him from invisible shackles, Thorin stood taller, proud and unbowed, but grave. He gave a suspicious glower back towards Erebor.

"The beast fell!" Dwalin's shout redirected their attention yet again.

All eyes strained to see in the gloom. "Are you sure?" Thorin demanded.

"I saw it too," Ori piped up. "You could see his glow as he moved, but then it…it…it just stopped. And he fell out of the sky."

The group stared into the darkness, watching the fire continue to burn. Bella could feel Thorin shift beside her and she looked up to find him frowning yet again, but this time it seemed to be a frown of contemplation. If she had to guess, she would think he was trying to work out an answer. Then he straightened.

"We must prepare for refugees," Thorin announced. Everyone turned to him. The Dwarves stared, their eyebrows climbing in surprise, but Bella's lips curved into an approving smile. She relaxed her hold on his arm, not pulling away, but using him as a touchstone while allowing him to do the same with her. He turned his head, making sure to meet each of their eyes. "The Men have lost their homes," he reminded them. "We know that suffering. We will not turn our backs on them. I will never sit back and see innocents suffer as our people suffered."

"And the treasure?" Ori ventured. Bella gave him a sharp look, but she caught the worry lingering in his own.

A tremor ran through the arm beneath her hand and her eyes shot back to Thorin's. His own gaze turned to Erebor before he turned back to the Company. "We shall wall that section off," Thorin told the younger Dwarf. Shadowed eyes turned to Dwalin. "Set up a rotation – no one works near the gold for any length of time."

The tall Dwarf frowned. "That'll stretch out the time it'll take to build a wall." He nodded toward the entrance where Smaug had smashed through. "And there's still that to deal with."

"We'll spare as much of time as we can," his king informed him. "There's a hidden danger to that gold and I would not lose any of our Company to it – not after having come so far." He placed a hand over Bella's, giving it a quick squeeze before leading Dwalin away to confer with Balin.

Bella all but sighed with relief. The odd darkness no longer seemed to hover over Thorin. Her brothers remained healthy and in one piece. Guilt still gnawed at her belly, but at least they would be offering something to the survivors of Laketown. An idea flickered in her mind, but she became sidetracked when she recalled the stone in her pocket. Perhaps now she could give it to Thorin.

 _ **No, young one.**_ She blinked, eyes scanning the group before her as she listened to that deep voice she had only heard once before, in her dream at Beorn's house. _**You must awaken the hearth.**_

"Bella?"

She blinked as Nori's voice broke into her thoughts. "Yes? Sorry?"

"Are you alright?" Her brother's eyes narrowed as they scanned her. "You seemed ready to fall over."

"I'm tired," she admitted, the corners of her mouth lifting into the tiniest of smiles. "And…" One hand waved towards the distant town, still burning against the dark of night. "A bit heart-sore to be truthful." Tears pricked at her eyes once more. She closed them, pressing her eyelids tight to contain her reaction, the burden of responsibility settling on her shoulders once more. "I'm tired," she repeated as she opened weary eyes. "I'm just tired."

"Then let us get you to sleep," he replied, putting an arm around her shoulder and leading her towards Dori.

Their older brother began fussing almost as soon as she came within his reach and within moments she found herself bundled up in an empty room they found close to the front gates. Glóin got a fire started and Ori dug out a couple of the blankets he had managed to stash in his bag from Laketown. She felt the pressure of many eyes and looked up to find her company watching her with concern.

"I shall be alright," she assured them, proud of her steady voice. "A little sleep and I shall be good as new." A hint of wry humor entered her gaze. "Talking to a dragon seems to be just the thing to make one a bit tired."

"Talking?" Dwalin's eyebrows shot up.

"Well, yes," she blinked at him. "He did wake up as you've noticed. It was a bit difficult to simply leave the room without saying anything." Guilt tugged at heart and her head turned in the general direction of the lake. "Perhaps a bit too much," she murmured.

"You spoke with the beast?" Balin gasped, drawing her attention away from herself.

"Yes?"

"And said what?" Ori demanded. "How did you keep him from eating you?"

"I believe I confused him," she shrugged. Then she gave a large yawn, one hand coming up to cover her mouth. "Oh, sorry."

"Stories later," Dori insisted. "She needs rest."

"And food," Bombur added. "Let me see what I can put together."

Thorin nodded as he stepped over to her side. He reached down to touch her shoulder. "Rest now, my burglar," he ordered before turning to the rest of the Company. "We have work to do."

She lay down, closed her eyes, and let the muttering voices carry her into a restful darkness.

Sometime later, how much time she could not determine, she felt someone shaking her and she tried to roll over, wanting to get away from the hand. "Just a few more minutes," she murmured.

"Oh, no, you don't." The hand's grasp on her should grew more firm. It shook her again. "Bella, dear, wake up."

"I'm awake," she yawned as she at last managed to identify her eldest brother's voice.

"Then open your eyes and let me see that." Dori sounded amused. "You're as bad as Ori," he chuckled as she muttered under her breath. "Come along, dear, wake up."

"I'm up, I'm up," she grumbled, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. "What's wrong?" she yawned.

"Nothing's wrong," he assured her. "Bombur's managed a bit of soup and you need to eat. Then Thorin would like to have a private word with you." Dori frowned, though it looked more for show than anything else. "It is not usually done," he fussed, "but…well, I suppose these can hardly be called usual times." He turned a narrow gaze on her. "Ori and I shall be taking our turn on the walls, but Nori shall be nearby."

"Do not worry, Dori," she smiled. "I shall be fine."

"I'm allowed to worry, dear," he informed her as he assisted her to her feet. "Tis an elder brother's prerogative."

She chuckled, but followed as he led her over to the Company's fireside. Her Dwarves welcomed her with smiles and quiet greetings to which she offered nods and smiles, then she turned to accept a bowl of soup from Bombur. "Thank you," she told him, moving to sit beside Nori. She blew on the hot liquid before beginning to eat. Talk swirled around her, but she remained quiet, letting the noise wash over her. Her brothers discussed the wall with Glóin while Bifur and Bombur seemed to be concerning themselves with the supplies.

Thorin, Dwalin, and Balin focused their attention on the defense of the mountain and the new relationships the Dwarves of Erebor would need to create with the other peoples of Wilderland. She stayed beside Nori, but turned so she could follow their talk. Thus far they agreed the orcs were still a concern and that yes, they would have to find some way to find common ground with Thranduil. She wrinkled her nose a bit, still undecided on her opinion of the Elf.

"And what of the Men?" Balin asked. "Laketown will not have survived the dragon's attack. Rebuilding…" His voice trailed off and he shook his head.

"They would do better to rebuild Dale," Thorin mused.

"With what?" Dwalin frowned. "They've little more than the clothes on their back."

Thorin frowned back at him. "Then we will aid them."

"Give them my portion of the treasure," Bella chimed in. Silence fell as everyone turned to stare at her with wide eyes. She glanced around. "What?"

"You would give them your entire share?" Glóin demanded.

"Well, yes. What am I going to do with a fourteenth of that mess?" she shrugged. "I don't have any need for all of that."

He blinked at her. "No need…"

"Are Hobbits so selfless then?" Nori asked, one of his braided eyebrows lifting in curiosity.

"No, of course not," she scoffed, nudging him. "Don't be silly." She met Thorin's eyes. "But we don't have any use for all any of that. A metal plow or sickle perhaps, but not the gold." Her smile took on a teasing edge. "Now, if you've got a collection of books in there somewhere, then I shall fight Ori for them." Smiles met her sally and she continued. "Any tea and I can argue it out with Dori, and any food…well, Bombur and I can discuss appropriate shares."

Laughter spilled throughout the room, bringing a brightness to Erebor which the mountain had not seen since the coming of the dragon. "If more folk appreciated food and good cheer, it would be a merrier world," Thorin chuckled.

"It is not my fault so few people have the good common sense of Hobbits," she replied, tilting her chin up a bit in mock snobbishness. "Silly folk, the lot of you."

Balin shook his head. "Still, it is generous of you, my lady." He ignored her muttering at the title. "And it will hopefully go a long way in rebuilding not only the city of Dale but our alliance with them. Not only would this entire area be safer, but trade would be easier as well."

"Then that is settled, yes?" Bella asked, raising her eyebrows at them. "My share shall go to Dale?"

"Agreed," Thorin nodded. His fingers twitched, but he straightened his shoulders. "It was well thought," he smiled at her. "That which brought down destruction being turned around to rebuild what was lost."

Her smile brightened in return, but Dwalin spoke and interrupted anything she might have said in reply.

"The first refugees should be reaching Dale by dawn," he pointed out. "If we're bringing them into the mountain, then we better get finished."

Dwarves began moving, some cleaning up and heading off towards the barrier being built to seal off the treasure. Others moved towards the front gate. Bella watched them move with their newfound purpose. She let a warm smile curl her lips as she watched.

 _ **You do well, my daughter.**_ Mahal's voice carried the warmth of the family home…well, maybe if the family home included a forge, but she supposed that seemed reasonable enough for the Great Smith. She pulled her legs up to her chest and rested her chin on her knees. Her eyes slipped closed so she could focus on listening as he continued. _**You have shown my son his path to freedom and a new air rises. Already the darkness begins to break. It takes only the rekindling to return the light of hope to this shadowed land.**_

"Still sleepy?"

"More distracted, I think," Bella replied as she opened her eyes to meet Thorin's gaze. "It has been a..." She waved her hands. "I cannot even decide how to describe it."

He knelt beside her, one hand reaching out to grasp her shoulder. "You did well," he told her, conviction in every line of his face. "You did better and more than anyone could have expected." She started to shake her head, but his hand only tightened. "Fully trained warriors have fled before less, and you faced the beast down."

"I woke him up," she reminded the king. "I set his eyes on Laketown."

"It would have come sooner or later," Thorin mused. "For all the myths, dragons do not eat gold." Pain flickered in his gaze. "Would that they did – we might have less to fear in the future."

"You did not fall."

He took a deep breath. "I came close-."

"Close is entirely different from actually falling," Bella insisted. "I came close to running away that night in the Misty Mountains, before we fell into the goblin kingdom. But I didn't. And neither did you."

"Only because of you," he replied, his voice and face taking on a gentle note she had not heard before. "If you had not interrupted my thoughts…" He shook his head, a new emotion rising in his face. "We might have lost everything at that moment, but you pulled me back."

The affection and admiration in his expression brought a warm flush to her cheeks. "I didn't do anything," she demurred. "I just…reminded you of the others. You brought yourself back."

The warm regard in his eyes seemed to deepen, burning brighter, fuller somehow. "Bella, I am not sure how Hobbits-."

"Thorin!"

"By Mahal." The Dwarf king reached up and rubbed his forehead. "I would swear your brothers possessed some kind of magic that let them know when to interrupt," he muttered. She pressed a hand over her mouth, suppressing a giggle and he glared at her, though his twitching lips belied the look. "It's not funny."

She gave him an apologetic smile, but Nori hurried into the room before she could speak. "Thorin, they're coming!" the erstwhile thief gasped out, trying to catch his breath.

"The Men?" Thorin demanded, half turning towards the door.

"Not yet," Nori shook his head. "Or…mostly not. The two daughters of the bargeman, Bard, are coming with the redheaded Elf from Mirkwood, but…" A grin burst like a sunrise over the normally sardonic face. "It's the rest of the Company."

Both Bella and Thorin turned wide demanding gazes on him. "The boys?" Bella asked. "Bofur? Óin?" Thorin waited, his frame seeming to vibrate with his locked down tension.

"All of them," Nori nodded.

"Thank Yavanna," Bella whispered, her eyes falling closed as she sent up a quick prayer to the Green Lady. Then another thought occurred to her and she decided it would be better to be safe than sorry. "Thank the Valar." Her lips twitched as she heard multilayered laughter roll through her mind in a symphony of amusement.

Thorin's eyes closed and they watched as he all but sagged with relief. Then he gave himself a visible shake and straightened once more, a new light visible in his eyes. "We should go prepare to welcome them home."

Nori let his glance slide from Thorin to Bella and back. "I'll get the others," he told them, an understanding glint in his own eyes. "Dori'll want to fuss over the girls."

"If only to keep him from fussing over all of them," Bella laughed as she watched her brother hurry out.

"One of these days I'm going to have an uninterrupted conversation with you," Thorin noted. "Even if I have to bribe Bard for the use of his boat."

"Don't do that," she warned him as they began to make their way towards the gate. "I really, honestly, and truly don't like being on the water. If you want me in any kind of a good mood, make sure I've got solid earth beneath my feet."

"I shall keep that in mind."


	21. Many Meetings

_Author's Note: And going even more AU while I try to get a lot covered… I should probably give a reminder that this is not exactly pro-Thranduil – at least not yet; it may change. But at the moment Bella is very pro-Dwarf, so she's a little less sympathetic. I've given the warning, so please keep in mind._

 **Many Meetings**

Bella followed Thorin and Nori towards the front gate, her mind worrying over the newly returned Company members. They must be in good shape if they managed to come all the way from Laketown, but that did not mean they were not injured in some way. Her steps faltered and her jaw dropped as the gate came into sight. The huge hole left by the rampaging dragon had been filled in. Somehow her Dwarves managed to create a barricade that filled in the empty space until only one small opening remained. Perhaps the height of an Elf and the width of three Dwarves abreast, the entrance could be defended by a minimum number of fighters.

"How long did I sleep?" she demanded, hurrying to catch up with the others.

"Never underestimate a Dwarf with a home to defend," Thorin chuckled. "This is just a temporary thing, easy enough to create. Wait until we have a real chance to create something."

Nori smirked, but said nothing as the three of them joined the others in time to see Bifur rush towards the incoming group. Bella watched as he snatched up his cousin, Bofur's funny hat falling off of his head at Bifur's enthusiastic welcome.

She stood back, observing through joyful tears as the families reunited. Her own brothers clustered around her, bright grins on their faces. This was why, Bella decided, this was why she came and why she planned to stay. Bringing families together and back to a place they could call home, a place where they did not have to depend on the tolerance of others just to get by. The Hobbits had the Shire and the Elves possessed their own various kingdoms. Did not the Dwarves deserve the same?

Her eyes scanned the group, landing on the three females standing to one side, the Elf bearing a restrained smile while the two girls seemed caught between anxiety and awe. Bella's conscience prodded her – she had left out the race of Men.

Of course, Men seemed able to adapt to living almost anywhere…but they too deserved to live in peace.

The cheerful shouts and jubilant voices began to settle. Now the Company intermingled, assuring one another of health and wellbeing after the separation and the terror of the dragon. Bella allowed Óin to look her over, waiting with amused patience as he grumbled about each and every scrape and bruise. Then Bofur pulled her in for a quick hug before being smacked on the back of the head by Ori. The irrepressible miner gave a profuse and dramatic apology that had more than one of them rolling their eyes. Fíli and Kíli each got a hug before she focused on the younger of the two brothers.

"Are you alright?" she asked, looking him up and down. "Your wound?"

"Healed!" Happiness filled his voice, but a soft cough brought a light flush to his cheeks. He glanced out of the corner of his eye in Tauriel's direction before offering a small shrug. "Well, mostly anyway," he allowed.

"Óin?" Thorin's demand came in hard and fast.

"Ha!" The elder Dwarf scoffed and gestured with his ear trumpet. "He'd be well and truly dead if left to me," Óin admitted. "Some strange orcish poison – didn't respond to anything I tried." He fixed a steady stare on his king. "If you want to know why you're still blessed enough to have a rapscallion of a nephew running around, then you'd do better to look to the Elf-lass."

All eyes turned to the Elf, who bore their curiosity and reserve with a complacency Bella could only envy. After a moment Kíli stepped to the redhead's side. "This is Captain Tauriel of the Woodland realm," he announced. "And it was her medicine and healing abilities that saved my life."

"Captain," Thorin stepped forward, offering Tauriel a nod. "My family and this Company owe you a great debt of gratitude."

"I seek no debt, no repayment." Tauriel shook her head. "To heal where there is injury is its own reward. To aid another warrior against the darkness of such evil strengthens us all."

Reluctant admiration flickered in Thorin's eyes, but he was given no chance to speak as Kíli opened his mouth. "She's been banished, Uncle."

"Banished?" the king repeated. "For what?"

Tauriel dropped her gaze for a moment and then took a deep breath. Looking up, her face a serene mask, she answered the question. "I disobeyed my king."

Thorin's brows rose. "And what did that-?"

"Thorin!" Bella frowned at him in warning. "Don't you dare finish that thought!"

Quiet chuckles filled the chamber, only to die away as Tauriel replied to Thorin's unfinished question. "I did not retreat behind our walls after the orc attack."

"She followed them to Laketown, Uncle," Fíli added. "So did Thranduil's son. They came to our aid when the orcs attacked us. The prince left to follow the ones that still wandered the town while Tauriel remained behind and healed Kíli."

Sigrid chose that moment to step forward, her younger sister clutched to her side. "They helped us," the elder sister informed them. "Captain Tauriel, and the Dwarves, helped us to escape when the dragon attacked." Fear and grief mingled in her eyes and Bella could feel Dori all but vibrating to go comfort the girl. Fíli moved closer to the two of them, reaching out a hand to touch them both in an offer of reassurance.

"Aye," Bofur nodded. "When the dragon attacked we managed to get hold of a boat and escape. Going to have nightmares about that little ride."

"We saw Smaug fall," Ori told them, curiosity filling his voice.

"Oh the beast went down alright," Óin snorted. "The Bowman and his son saw to that."

"How?" Thorin asked, keeping his voice gentle as he looked to the girls.

"Da had a black arrow," Tilda replied.

Sigrid nodded. "Bain said it was the last of the black arrows of Dale."

"I saw it," Kíli added. "Not the firing, though I wish I had, but I saw the arrow flying, spinning through the air and piercing the dragon's flesh."

"We were far enough away to stay free of the violence of the fall, but it still took us a bit to reach land," Óin told them.

"Prince Legolas found us once we reached the shore," Fíli concluded. "Thranduil sent an envoy to demand his return, but when the prince inquired after any orders regarding Tauriel, he was told she was banished."

"And where is Prince Legolas now?" Balin asked. "Did he return to his father?"

"No," Tauriel shook her head. "He has gone to find answers. The orcs who followed you and attacked at Laketown bore the mark of Gundabad, such marks as have not been seen in many years."

"What of Bard?" Bella asked. "And Bain?"

"We found them on land as well," Sigrid smiled, the relief of that moment still clear in her face. Then she indicated the Dwarves around her. "When he heard they intended to make their way to the mountain, he asked about their intentions towards the Men. Fíli…ah, I mean Prince-."

"Fíli," the prince in question corrected in a firm voice. "The family of the dragon slayer have every right to call me by name without needing the formality of titles."

"And mine," Kíli added.

Both of them gave a quick glance at their uncle, straightening as he nodded.

"Right then," Sigrid accepted with her own nod. "Fíli assured him that there would be the promised gold, possibly more, but Da said he would only take what had been promised…only enough to rebuild." She paused and bit her lip. "He fears there is a curse upon the gold."

Thorin rose and paced away, his head bowed in thought. Silence fell over the chamber as everyone watched and waited for him to speak. Several minutes passed before he turned back to them. His eyes went first to Sigrid and Tilda. "The Dwarves of Erebor owe a debt to your father and brother as well," he informed them. "More than we could hope to explain or repay perhaps, but we will do our best as befits all honor."

"Father leads the people to Dale," Tilda piped up at that moment.

Balin smiled at the young girl. "Does he intend to rebuild there? Not at Laketown?"

"Yes," she nodded, ducking her head a bit, shy as all eyes turned to her.

Fíli patted her shoulder, giving her an encouraging smile before looking back to his uncle. "Bard leads the people now," he explained. "No one has seen the Master and some say they saw him fall beneath the dragon."

"Couldn't have happened to a better fellow," Nori muttered. Bella hushed him, but he just grinned, the smile growing deeper as Tilda gave a little giggle.

"The so-called Master might have been easier to bribe," Dwalin shrugged, "but the Bowman's got honor."

"Better for us," Thorin nodded. "Better for the Men as well." Sigrid and Tilda straightened, some of their anxiety disappearing as pride flickered into their eyes. The Dwarf king offered them a smile. "We intend to offer refuge in the mountain, especially for those who are injured or sick or in need of protection."

The two girls fell silent, speechless it seemed, but Tauriel's face relaxed. "That is good of you."

"We have known the same loss," Balin reminded the Elf.

"And we will not stand by as others suffer it," Thorin informed her. "Not when we can offer aid." She nodded and he stared at her for a long moment, weighing something in his mind. His eyes flickered over to his nephews, scanning both of their faces before returning to her. Something settled in him and he drew himself up, drawing all eyes. "Captain Tauriel-."

"I have no such place," she reminded him. "Not any longer." A flash of loss crossed her face before she buried it beneath an Elven serenity.

"Captain Tauriel," he started yet again with more patience than Bella would have expected, "you claim there remains no debt between yourself and the line of Durin, but by your own hands you have saved one of my heirs." Affection warmed his gaze as he looked towards Kíli. His nephew offered a smile in return. The warmth remained as the older Dwarf turned back. "If you have no home with your people, then I would offer you a place here, within Erebor."

Astonishment filled the Elf's face, but Bella would wager her own face held the same. Dropped jaws and wide eyes painted the same amazement across every face in the room. Thorin alone retained a steady expression as he waited for an answer.

"Thank you, King Thorin, for your generous offer," Tauriel acknowledged after several long moments of silence, "but if I have proven false to one lord, how can you trust that I shall not also prove false to you?"

"And yet you have proven true to a better purpose." The Dwarf king paused to consider her. "Had you asked me a mere handful of days ago, I would have sworn that I would deny any Elf entry to my mountain," he admitted. "But much has changed since then and…my eyes have been opened in ways they have not been in many years." Humor lit his eyes as he glanced at Bella from the corner of one of them. "I can appreciate an honest opinion if offered honestly enough…ask our burglar if you wish confirmation of that."

"True enough," Bella nodded. "And I still intend to lay hands on something like an umbrella should I need to literally knock some sense into you."

The group broke into chuckles, with Tilda's giggles rising above all of them. Sigrid gave the Hobbit a look of deep gratitude, but then a commotion at the entrance broke through the merriment before Bella could say anything further.

 _O Valar, what now?_

"We've got company!" Glóin yelled from his spot on watch. "Looks like the Bowman has arrived, but he's got the Elf king and an army behind him!"

"An army?" Thorin demanded. "What in Mahal's name is he up to now?"

They made their way out the front gate and found themselves confronting a small group of Men led by Bard and an army of Elves at Thranduil's back. Alarm stirred in Bella's heart, fear that they might have survived the dragon only to find death at the hands of those who should be allies. The Company drew closer, forming a defensive circle with Thorin and Balin in front and the females in the center. Thranduil gave them a cool gaze, his eyes scanning each of them, pausing only on Tauriel before flicking away in dismissal.

Bella noticed that Bard, on the other hand, seemed to appreciate them including his daughters within their protection.

"Da!" Sigrid and Tilda rushed to Bard, throwing themselves into his open arms. He held them close for a moment before pulling back to run a hand over their hair. "Da," Sigrid continued, "the Dwarves have offered refuge in the mountain."

Bard's eyebrows rose and he lifted his gaze to meet that of the Dwarf king. "Refuge?"

"Refuge," Thorin confirmed, offering the Man a nod of equals. "Rebuilding your city will take time, as will rebuilding our home, but season and weather wait for no one. Tents and cloth will not keep your people warm." A hint of wry amusement twitched at the Dwarf king's lips. "Solid stone may not do much more at this moment, but it will shield us from the wind and the forges have been relit – so warmth will soon begin to permeate the mountain once more." His chin rose as he took on a more regal bearing. "Erebor and Dale once shared an alliance. I would see that rebuilt."

Bella felt a smile curving her lips even as she spotted the shadow of a proud smile on Balin's face.

A voice rang out from the crowd behind Bard. "Why should we believe-?" Something cut the voice off, leaving the question unfinished.

Thorin ignored it, his gaze never leaving the man before him. "Such a reconstruction project as the rebuilding of Dale will also cost a great deal." Bard stiffened, his gaze growing ever more intent. A small flicker in Thorin's eyes showed that he caught the change, but he continued as if he had not. "We promised gold in return for the aid given in Laketown-."

The crowd stirred, whispers rising in quiet excitement, but one of the Men forced his way to the front. "I will be heard!" Alfrid, the former Master's lackey, demanded, shifting from foot to foot as if unsure of his place.

Tired exasperation stole across Bard's face. "What is it, Alfrid?"

Alfrid drew himself up as tall as he could manage. Bella thought he looked ridiculous. "Why should we believe these Dwarves?" he demanded. "They woke the beast up! They're the reason we've all been made homeless! Why should we trust them?"

"Indeed."

And there…now Thranduil, who had been a silent observer to this point, chose to speak up.

"Of what value are your words to those who have lost their homes?" the Elf king queried. "They might have lived long lives, unencumbered by such a wretched fate had you not woken the dragon."

"For how long?" Bella asked before anyone else could speak. Once she might have squirmed beneath the pressure of so many eyes as the crowd chose to focus on her, but after having faced down giant spiders and a great dragon, the stares of the free folk of the world held little threat – especially as she stood surrounded by her Company. "For how long?" she repeated. "No matter what the stories say, dragons can hardly subsist on gold."

"He ate wild things and sheep, you silly creature," Alfrid huffed.

The Dwarves bristled, but Bella held up a hand. "Hush you," she told him in her best oldest cousin voice, one usually reserved for the tweens of the Tooks. "Let your elders finish their discussion." Her eyes shifted back to Bard and Thranduil in a clear dismissal. Quiet chuckles came from the crowd; she ignored those as well. "When Smaug came to Erebor, he held no interest in Dale," she continued. "He destroyed for the sheer love of destruction. Sooner or later, on one of his forays to find food, he would have turned to Laketown to pursue such devastation once more."

"Perhaps you speak the truth." Thranduil looked down at her. "But did you not hurry it along?"

"Perhaps we did," Thorin interjected, his tone cold and biting as it had not been with Bard. "And we have already decided to make what restitution we can for it as we were unable to do when the dragon first came to the mountain." He looked away from the Elf, focusing on the Man. "The death of so many of our people and the long exile prevented us from giving aid to the Men of Dale at that time. With the reclamation of our home, we may once again share in her bounty."

"Ah," Thranduil inserted his words before Bard could reply, "but sharing is not something for which your family is remembered."

"I am not my grandfather," Thorin said, flicking a quick glance at the Elf, but keeping most of his attention on Bard.

The Elf king would not let it go. "And yet-."

"Oh would you please be quiet!" Bella snapped at him. "Honestly! There is a chance here – a chance for the renewing of alliances, of peace, and all you can do is try and poke at a sleeping bear's sore paw."

"Maybe we could introduce him to Beorn," Nori muttered behind her.

She resisted the urge to glance at him and felt a quiet satisfaction as she heard someone – Dori, most likely – thump him. Her eyes remained fixed on the Elf king. "What is it you want?" she demanded. "Other than to stir up trouble, that is."

Anger flared in his countenance. "Who are you to speak to me in such a way, Halfling?"

"The one who liberated thirteen Dwarves out from under your nose," she shot back, her own temper rising. "One who has riddled with a dragon and thus has little to fear from your glare."

Thranduil's eyes narrowed, but Bard stepped forward. "You?" he questioned, blinking down at her. "They let you go to face the dragon?"

"That right there is proof that he doesn't know the lass," Glóin informed his brother. "It's not as though the lass let anyone tell her no."

"We tried!" Her eldest brother puffed up.

"And how well did that succeed?" Dwalin asked him, exasperation clear in his face.

"Yes, well…" Dori deflated. "She is a trifle stubborn."

Bifur muttered and Bombur nodded. "As the sky is a trifle blue."

Tilda giggled, bringing a quick smile to Bella's face. The smile stayed as she turned back to Bard, glad to see the Man's own expression had lightened somewhat. "I came here to help my friends find a home," she informed him. "If that meant going in to a dragon's lair, well…" She wrinkled her nose. "I wouldn't say it was something I would care to do again, but…" She shrugged.

The sound of pounding hoof beats drew everyone's attention. All eyes turned to see a figure in gray riding hard in their direction.

"About time," Dwalin groused. "The daft Wizard's late."

Gandalf rode straight up to the group, pulling back on his reins and sliding off of the horse to face the three leaders, Dwarf, Man, and Elf. "War is coming! The cesspits of Dol Guldur have been emptied. You are all in mortal danger!"

For a moment, nobody moved. And then…

"Of course we are," Bella grumbled. "Trolls, wargs, giants, goblins, orcs, spiders, dragons…now war." She planted her hands on her hips, a fierce glare fixing on the Wizard. The Dwarves edged backwards. "You and I are going to discuss the appropriate definition of 'adventure' one of these days, Gandalf the Gray." She gave an irritated huff. "Provided we survive this anyway."

"My dear Bella," Gandalf reached out to place a hand on her shoulder. "I do not believe you quite understand the situation-."

"Enlighten me," she replied, folding her arms over her chest.

His hand dropped back. "It is a bit of a story," he frowned.

"We have time," Thorin stepped forward, both hands coming to rest on Bella's shoulders. "My cousin, Dáin will be arriving at dawn tomorrow."

"Then he should make it just in time," Gandalf allowed. "If he is not delayed. We shall be the better for a Dwarven army, but that still does not give us much time to prepare."

Thranduil tilted his head. "I have yet to be convinced of these orcish armies, Mithrandir." He raised a disdainful eyebrow. "I am not here to listen to a warning of possible storms. Sometimes a storm is just a storm."

"Have you hidden from the world so long, Thranduil, son of Oropher, that my council now counts for so little?" the Wizard demanded.

Fury flashed in the Elf king's eyes, but Bella spoke up before he could. "We haven't even determined what you _are_ here for," she pointed out. "And with an army, no less. It can't have been for the dragon." She nodded towards Bard. "As he had already been dealt with by a Man."

"He is here for some gems," Bard answered when Thranduil turned away from her. "Or so he told me."

Bella blinked at him. "Gems?"

"I brought your people food," the Elf king reminded the Man, an insulted light in his eyes.

"For which I thanked you," Bard nodded. "But as you yourself stated – you did not come on our behalf. You brought an army in order to obtain certain gems. I still do not understand what gems could be so important as to be worth a war."

Thorin's hands tightened on Bella's shoulders and she resisted the desire to glance back at him. Instead she kept her eyes on Thranduil and Bard as they stared at one another. The tension grew taut as the silence stretched on, and she could see Gandalf all but vibrating in a need to ease the explosive situation. He held himself still however, seeming to share her recognition that the leaders must come to their own understanding. She could also feel a tremor run through Thorin before he drew in a deep breath.

"The white gems of Lasgalen."

Man and Elf turned to face Thorin, Bard's countenance marked by confusion while Thranduil narrowed his eyes. "You seek the white gems," Thorin repeated. "Did you think to send your army in to comb through the treasure in hopes of finding them?"

"They are heirlooms of my people."

"Then perhaps you should speak less dismissively of our Hobbit companion," the Dwarf king noted. "Show him, Bella. Show the Elf king what you stole from beneath a dragon's snout."

She glanced back at him now, meeting his gaze. He nodded and she reached into her pocket, pulling out the necklace. Thranduil stood transfixed, staring as she pulled out her hand. The setting sun still gave enough light to turn the gems in her hand to crystal fire, creating such a spill of sparkles as made the nearby Elves gasp.

"Is this what you seek?" Thorin demanded. "Is this why you bring an army to the foot of our mountain?"

Pride filled the Elf's face. "They are ours."

"If this will prevent this war you seek to ignite, then have them," the Dwarf king retorted. "Let any future blood between Dwarf and Elf be on your hands, not mine."

"So easily?" Thranduil frowned, suspicion flooding his gaze.

"Oh, for Yavanna's sake," Bella snapped. "Take them or don't – make up your mind." His hand shot out, snatching the jewelry from her. She rolled her eyes, examining her hand as if to make sure she still possessed all of her fingers. "Much joy may you have of them in your dark kingdom," she muttered.

Gandalf raised his eyebrows. "Bella-."

"Don't start with me," she pointed at him. "I still have yet to hear your story."

"I too would like to hear this," Bard agreed. "What is it you claim we face?"

"Yes, Gandalf," Thorin turned to face the Wizard. "About that story?"

Gandalf huffed, but move to sit on a large stone. The others moved about until they too could be seated – all save Thranduil, Tauriel, and Dwalin. The Dwarf stood as guardian over his companions while the red-headed Elf hovered near Kíli and the children of Bard. The Elf king loitered, a look of careful disinterest on his face.

The Wizard sighed. "It began when I left the company at the borders of Mirkwood..."


	22. Gandalf's Tale

_Author's Note: I'm so anxious to get to the next couple of chapters and this one wanted to fight me._

 **Gandalf's Tale**

"I travelled to the High Fells," Gandalf explained. "Beorn mentioned rumors that needed to be looked into for the safety of all free peoples."

"How very melodramatic," Thranduil murmured, casting a wary gaze towards the Wizard.

The gathering of Dwarves, Men, and Elves glanced at him, many of the eyes bearing irritation or exasperation. Bella shook her head from her place at Thorin's right where they perched on one of the other rocks. Fíli, Kíli, and Ori sat on the ground at their feet while Dori and Nori gathered at her right. Glóin and Óin sat just behind her brothers. Balin sat on Thorin's left side and his brother loomed behind the three of them. Tauriel sank to a seat between Kíli and the daughters of Bard with Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur behind her.

"In some cases, melodrama is interwoven into the very threads of an event without further prompting from the storyteller," Gandalf noted. "In any event, I discovered these rumors held more fact than fiction to them, requiring me to pursue further investigations into Dol Guldur."

Thorin leaned forward. "What rumors?"

"Rumors that the dead had been seen walking in those mountains." An uneasy expression settled onto Gandalf's face. "The tombs of Angmar have been opened."

"Who would dare?" Thranduil demanded, the first hint of alarm entering his ancient countenance. "The men of the North worked to ensure those tombs would never see the light!"

Bella found herself leaning into Thorin's side, a shiver running through her as the air's tension tightened. The Dwarf king did not look away from Gandalf, but he curled an arm around her, letting her take what comfort she could from the warmth that seemed to pour off of him. One of her hands reached down, first touching Ori's shoulder and then Fíli's as if to assure herself that they were there. Her gaze swept the circle, taking count of the Company, using her ears when she could not see one of them.

"They were not opened from the outside," Gandalf replied. "The bars turned outward as though some powerful force erupted from within."

"Impossible."

Thranduil's voice drew attention yet again, but this time no one seemed annoyed. The almost breathless whisper twisted their hearts, feeling the depth of the Elf king's anxiety. His face appeared carved from ice, but his eyes burned as he stared at the Wizard. "There is no power in all of Middle Earth that can raise the dead."

"Is there not?" Gandalf shook his head. "Radagast and I entered the High Fells," he continued. "We found nine crypts broken open from the inside. The wraiths of Angmar, the Ringwraiths have been summoned to Dol Guldur, the hill of sorcery."

A chill ran up Bella's spine.

"No mortal sorcerer could summon those agents of evil," Thranduil argued. "It cannot be the Necromancer."

"The Necromancer, or rumors of him have been around a long time," Thorin mused. "Are you certain he's mortal?"

The Elf turned a glare on the Dwarf king, but Gandalf nodded at him. "The Nine only answer to one master," the Wizard agreed. "The Enemy has returned and he is summoning his servants." Frustration colored his face and voice. "I should have known! Azog the Defiler is no ordinary hunter – he is a commander, a commander of legions." Gandalf looked up to the mountain. "The Enemy intended to have Smaug as an ally in his war, the war that will begin here."

"What enemy?" Attention turned towards the young voice. Tilda stared at the Wizard from where she curled into her father's side. Small tremors shook her tiny frame. Sigrid sat beside her, her posture straight and contained, but her hands clenched into fists. Their brother Bain remained watchful, his eyes sliding between various group members. Bard looked grim. "Why here?"

"I am sorry, my dear," he sighed, casting an apologetic look towards Bard. "I wish that I did not have such dark news to impart."

"If dark is the future," Bard frowned, "then dark must be the news. Continue with your tale." His arm tightened around his youngest. "Ignorance is no shield…and covering our eyes will not prevent the coming of darkness."

"Indeed. It would rather hasten it," Gandalf nodded and looked down to Tilda. "The Enemy is Sauron," he said in answer to her question, ignoring the mutters and muffled cries of denial. He lifted his voice to speak over them. "We cannot close our eyes to the truth! And as to why here? Because here the free peoples are at their most vulnerable and most divided while dark forces are strongest."

"But now…Smaug is dead," Bella noted. She glanced at Bard. "The Men have seen to that. Will he still attack?"

"The armies have already begun to march," the Wizard informed them. "Smaug would have been a useful ally, but they will not stop with the dragon's loss."

Thorin fixed his gaze on Gandalf. "You left us weeks ago. Why wait to tell us of Sauron? Why did you not come immediately?"

"My friendship with your families, Durin and Took, would have drawn me back," Gandalf admitted, "but my responsibilities are to all peoples. The tombs all but confirmed the return of Sauron, but we did not know of his strength – or lack of it. Radagast and I travelled to Dol Guldur. The fortress appeared abandoned, but a spell of concealment lay over it."

"He did not wish to be detected," Dwalin nodded. "So…not at full strength?"

"No, not as yet," Gandalf agreed. "And yet…his power still held more strength than expected."

Thranduil's eyes narrowed. "You were captured."

"Indeed." Shadows crossed the aged face. "Captured and held captive while he rallied his armies." His voice deepened with his passionate warning. "Rank upon rank of Moria-orcs." Gandalf glanced around the group, his gaze moving to meet the eyes of each member of the circle. "The battle of the mountain is about to begin. The Enemy intends to see Angmar rise once more – here in the east."

"How did you escape?" Bain asked, flushing as the Wizard turned to him. He raised his chin, a flicker of determined courage in his eyes.

"The White Council rescued me," Gandalf replied. Bella approved of the patience he showed with the young Man, but thought he gave the question more patience than he would if any of the rest of them had asked. He turned to Thranduil. "The Lady Galadriel weakened herself to a dangerous point and required the aid of Lord Elrond. Saruman has pursued Sauron to Mordor."

Bard frowned. "And to warn Minas Tirith?"

"In all likelihood," Gandalf assured him, a light of approval gleaming in his eyes. "I did not stay close by after my rescue, so I have only the barest information from the Council, but it would do no one any favors to overlook warning the Men of Gondor."

"If the Enemy has indeed fled, then what is this war you fear?" Thranduil prompted. Something in his voice drew Bella's scrutiny. He seemed less suspicious and more…probing perhaps? This question felt more like a questing for answers than an attack. Her own focus sharpened. No matter what else she might feel about the Elf, he did possess a good deal of experience in leadership and in war if the tales she had heard were true.

"The armies have already begun to march." Shadows grew deeper in Gandalf's face as he repeated himself. "They will rule or they will destroy – those are their orders. Should they succeed, then darkness will have a foothold far beyond any armies of the free peoples."

"If they win here…" Thorin's voice trailed off and his arm tightened around Bella.

"What?" she asked, her eyes scanning the circle, shifting from Thorin over to Bard and across to Thranduil before landing once more on Gandalf. "What is it?"

"Terrible as the loss of life would be should the Enemy succeed," Thranduil began and she turned back to him. An ancient burden seemed to hollow his cheeks, but his voice remained steady. "Terrible as it would be," he began again, "it would pale in comparison to the damage he would wrought from here. Elrond has few warriors remaining to him while Celeborn's guard Galadriel's realm." One eyebrow twitched upwards, but the disdain appeared more for show now. "The Dwarf army approaching from the east is the only true army remaining to the Dwarves."

"And Men are scattered," Gandalf sighed. "The realms possessing armies are to the south."

Bard stirred. "We will fight."

"I have no doubt," the Wizard answered in a softer voice. "I have little doubt as to the courage of Men when necessity calls, but you are few here. Too few for now."

"And yet needed," Dwalin acknowledged. All eyes turned to him. "Men have the most current knowledge of the layout of the land." He glanced at Thranduil and challenge flickered in his gaze for a moment before he pulled it back under control.

"Having a third force to put distance between Dwarf and Elf would not hurt either," Balin pointed out with a hint of a wry grin.

"Hmph." Thranduil gave them all an imperious stare, but something like amusement slipped into his face for a moment. "Possibly…particularly given the stiff-necked nature of Dwarves."

Thorin opened his mouth only to snap it closed with a muffled grunt as Bella gave him a sharp nudge with her elbow. She spotted Balin pulling back his hand and could only presume the advisor had made a similar move. Smothered chuckles greeted the entire byplay. Even the closest Elves seemed to be repressing smiles while Thranduil's expression lightened.

A hand patted her shoulder and she glanced back to find Dori giving her a proud smile. Nori winked.

"Now, far be it from me to go poking my nose into the business of kings," Bofur declared, ignoring his companions as they gave him various expressions of disbelief and exasperation, "but maybe we should be thinkng of starting to move these folks inside the mountain?" Bombur poked him in the arm. "What?" the miner demanded. "'S got to be easier to move them in now – before that Dwarf army gets here."

"He's got a point," Kíli pointed out as he craned his neck to look at his uncle. "Nothing against Dáin, but finding everyone milling outside of Erebor will create confusion."

Gandalf gave both of them an approving look. "Excellent notions."

"And it will be easier to move people in if we're not having to weave them around two armies," Fíli agreed, his own gaze focused on Thranduil's people. "If we get started soon we could have them inside when Dáin gets here and everyone can focus on the fight instead of the refugees."

"Good points," Thorin nodded to his nephews. Then he gave the same nod to Bofur. "All around."

A stir in the crowd drew everyone's attention and Bella's lips thinned as Alfrid stepped forward. "May I just say," the oily man began.

"No."

The word came out multi-layered from several different throats and he shrank back from the glares of the Bowman, two kings, one Wizard, one Hobbit, and a Company of Dwarves. "Never mind," he almost squeaked. "It will wait."

"Let's get everyone moving," Thorin ordered.

Moving people took less time than Bella expected, but as Bard pointed out – most of the people were still coming from the lake. Thranduil sent a company of his Elves to protect the people and guard their passage. Thorin put Balin and Dori in charge of arranging the refugees in some kind of comfort before speaking to Dwalin and Nori about setting up some kind of plan for guarding and watching them once they could bolster their numbers with Dáin's folk.

Bella almost teared up at the pride in Nori's bearing as he accepted his assignment.

The rest of the Company, save Thorin, Bella and the boys, worked to reinforce the barricade as well as standing watch over the entrance. Thorin kept his nephews with him as he moved to speak with Gandalf and the leaders of Man and Elf.

She went along to do her best to keep things at least somewhat diplomatic.

Thranduil glanced around the large empty cavern. Sorrow haunted his face for a moment before he shifted back to a remote superiority. Too late though – Bella caught the emotion and she realized the Elf king might not be as inured to the sufferings of the Dwarves as she had previously thought. Not that any such sympathy showed in the raised eyebrows as he turned to Thorin. "And the treasure?"

"Walled off." Thorin's short response surprised everyone. "I will not expose my people to the danger of that treasure until it can be cleansed."

"If it can be cleansed."

Elf and Dwarf faced each other and Bella heaved a sigh. She turned to face the others gathered around, her attention focusing on the Men – the females of that race to be precise. "Would any of you happen to have an umbrella I might borrow?" she asked, her voice the epitome of a mannerly Hobbit lady. "A rolling pin would work as well."

"And what would you be needing with an umbrella?" One of them stepped forward, confusion knitting her brow.

Another nodded. "Or a rolling pin, for that matter?"

Rueful amusement rose in Bella's face as she tossed a glance to the two kings. "Much as I would prefer to avoid any kind of unnecessary violence, I believe it may take a good smack to remind certain personages of their manners," she replied, turning back to the watching crowd. "I have found that umbrellas, rolling pins, and brooms do an excellent job of giving such a reminder."

The strained atmosphere broke as people chuckled. No one broke into peals of laughter, but given what trauma these people had suffered so recently, that did not surprise her. She felt relieved they let themselves go even a little. Thranduil stared at her, but Thorin just shook his head, his shoulders relaxing as his amusement got the better of him.

Then Bella eyed the two women who had spoken. "And I do believe your brooms would prove a bit too unwieldy for me."


	23. On the Eve of Battle

_Author's Note: A longer chapter because I needed to get something accomplished and something else set up._

 **On the Eve of Battle**

Events seemed to cascade from there. Bella watched in near breathless surprise as Thorin, Thranduil, Bard, and Gandalf made quick work of preparing for the battle to come. She supposed she should not be surprised – at least three of the males had been in battle before, led in battle. And yet… Seeing these former adversaries put all else aside and work together gave her hope. If they, of all people, could do this, could not the rest of the free peoples? News of the coming enemy forces arrived in the form of a flock of ravens who reported to Thorin and Balin. Thranduil arranged his forces to make best use of their archers, a skill no other people could match. Bard did not have the experience or expertise of the others, but he did know the land and its vagaries better than anyone else. Even the Dwarves bowed to his opinions; their knowledge of the environs of Erebor had been long outdated by the desolation of Smaug. Gandalf offered his opinions when asked, but informed them he would remain with the Men during the battle as his skills could be of most use there.

Bella moved away as they finished their talk. She could offer little in the plans of battle. Her feet carried her near the gate where Thranduil's mount awaited his master. The great creature moved towards her and she reached out a hand. He nosed at it. "Welcome and well met," she greeted with a smile.

"He is not fond of many." Tauriel stepped up beside her. The elk's ears twitched and the Elf lay a hand on his neck. "A master of the forest."

"And a child of the Great Hunter perhaps," Bella nodded, "but he seems to like me."

"Perhaps he senses a kindred spirit in a child of Yavanna." Tauriel watched as the elk nosed at Bella once more. "He would like you to scratch his nose," she pointed out. A smile curved her lips. "He can be greedy for attention, but he is usually a good judge of character."

"Though sometimes I would question his judgement."

The cool voice drew both females' attention. Thranduil stood nearby, examining them. Bella could not read his expression; his face an emotionless mask. The distant look held him apart from the organized chaos as if an invisible wall stood between him and the rest of the mountain. He opened his mouth as if to speak further, but then he seemed to change his mind. He gazed at Tauriel for another moment before sweeping away to confer with his own commanders. Sorrow haunted the female's eyes for a moment before she wiped it away. She spoke no more, but turned away, seeking out Bard's daughters, though Bella saw her eyes flicker to Kíli.

Thorin gathered the Company together.

"We go to war," he informed them, his face as grave as Bella had ever seen it. "Based on the ravens' reports, Dáin will arrive first, but the orcs will not be far behind." His eyes swept the group, careful to make eye contact with each of them. "When I called for volunteers, it was to seek the mountain and whether or not it might be regained, the home of our people. I did not call you to this sort of battle."

"And you're not calling us to it now," Bofur shrugged. "Seems the orcs are doing the calling." He propped his mattock on one shoulder. "If it's battle that's needed to defend the lady, then it's battle."

"They mean to see our people dead," Balin agreed. "Dead or enslaved. Better a battle than enslavement."

Dwalin nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. "Better dead in a battle than anywhere else."

Fíli and Kíli remained silent, offering their own support with simple nods as the rest of the Company murmured their agreement to Dwalin's words.

"Thank you." Thorin bowed his head, accepting their loyalty with a quiet humility. "No son of Durin has ever been so honored as I to have such a Company." His gaze shifted to her. "Bella…" His voice trailed off as she shook her head.

"I would follow," she began, only to have to stop and turn to wave her brothers to silence. She looked back to their leader. "I would follow, but I have no skills at battle. Should I go to war with you, someone would have to spend their time watching over me instead of watching out for themselves." Her lips quivered as her gaze swept the Company, lingering on each beloved face. "I shall remain here." Several relieved sighs met her words and she rolled her eyes. "I am stubborn," she stated, a tart note in her voice, "not a complete fool."

"Traveling with a group of Dwarves, into the wild, after a treasure guarded by a dragon," Dwalin muttered, his gaze focused somewhere over her head.

"I am going to smack you in a minute," she warned. Now his eyes locked with hers, an amused challenge in them. She drew herself up and then huffed out a breath. "Oh, fine, be that way." A mock scowl scrawled across her face. "If the thought of me doing it doesn't worry you, then I shall have Dori smack you in a minute." Her brother puffed up beside her and Dwalin held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Better," she smiled as all three of her brothers smirked.

The Company laughed.

"Bard's son shall assist the guards at the gate," Thorin broke in, reclaiming control of the conversation though he gave her an approving smile. "I told him you would help protect his daughters?"

"Oh, of course," Bella agreed. "Tell him not to worry – I shall make sure no orc lays hands on either of them."

"I think Tauriel will be staying with you too," Kíli interrupted. All eyes swung to him. "What?" he demanded, a flush of color darkening his cheeks. "She's not welcome among the Elves and she won't really fit with anyone else. She's taken to the girls."

"Captain Tauriel may stay as she wishes," Thorin agreed. His light emphasis on the Elf's rank caused Kíli's color to deepen. Bella could almost see the Company reining in their desire to tease – or warn – the lad. Thorin shook his head. "Our pieces are moving into place. When Dáin arrives, we shall be as ready as we can be with such short notice." He drew himself up, one hand going to rest on Fíli's shoulder as the other settled on the small of Bella's back. "We cannot be assured of victory; our foes outnumber us by more than any army should have to face. But, in victory or defeat, we must make the enemy pay so high a price as to send him scurrying back to his lair to lick his wounds." His face filled with purpose and defiance. "Azog must die this day along with as many of his forces as possible. There must be no foothold in the north for the enemy to use in threatening the free peoples."

No one spoke, no one turned away. Then Bombur, the gentlest of them all, stepped forward. "We didn't come expecting to win free of the beast," he pointed out in his soft voice. "But we did and this is our home."

Bifur nodded, gesturing with his boar spear as he growled out his own commentary.

"Our families are here," Dori translated. "Our home and our families. We stand."

Stubborn chins lifted and sharp grins circled the company. Pride filled Thorin's face as he gazed at them. "I would take this Company at my back above any army," he said. "The enemy means to take this mountain? He shall choke on it."

The Company cheered. They shared a few quick hugs and nods before moving to help finish the last of the preparations. Bella hugged each of the Company, but Thorin's hand clasped hers, keeping her beside him as he moved towards Gandalf. The leaders began a final run through of their plan, polishing up a handful of details. She ignored most of it, not wanting to think too hard about the danger to her Dwarves. Various members of the Company came and went, updating Thorin on the state of the mountain. Nori was making his own report when a disturbance at the gate interrupted his words.

"Thorin!"

All eyes turned towards the entrance as Ori rushed through the gate. "Dáin! Dáin is here!"

"Then battle is upon us." Thorin's quiet words brought everything to a standstill. He glanced around, drawing the Company to him without words. "Let us greet our cousin and then we shall close the gate."

Bella could feel Nori shadowing her as she stuck close to Thorin on their walk into the light of the sun. She wanted to take hope from the brightness of the day, but fear pulled at her heart. Soon, too soon, Thorin, her brothers, the boys, and the others would all leave her for the darkness of battle…and there was nothing she could do. The time for tricks and stealth had passed.

"Dáin!"

Thorin's voice held more cheer than she expected. Her gaze followed his, but her steps faltered. "Is that a…a…?"

"An armored boar," Nori finished for her. "That it is."

"Rabbits that pull sleds," she muttered. "Elks and boars as mounts. The entire world is crazy."

Her brother chuckled as the new Dwarf lord dismounted and greeted his kinsman with an embrace. The armored boar moved towards Bella and Nori. She felt her brother's hands land on her shoulder and knew he planned to pull her out of the way. To avoid any such movement, she stepped forward, ignoring his hiss. She held out a hand and the boar snuffled at it. "And hello to you."

"He's supposed to be a mount," came a gruff voice. "Not a pet."

Bella blinked over at the bristling Dwarf lord. "He can't be both?"

"Dáin," Thorin interrupted before his kinsman could say anything. "This is Bella, one of our Companions."

"This…she's a female!" Dáin growled. "Not even a Dwarf female. And you took her on this wild scheme of yours?"

The entire Company growled, protesting his words, but even their combined voices could overcome the blistering heat of an irate Hobbit when her temper snapped.

"Excuse me?" Bella's eyes began to snap with fury. She spotted Thorin's wince, but ignored him in favor of stalking towards his idiot cousin. "Your cousins would be dead without me, I will have you know!" He paled, his gaze swinging over to Thorin and the boys. His attention returned as she continued her furious tirade. "I've faced orcs, wargs, and giant spiders. I've smuggled my companions out of the Elf king's realm and faced a _dragon_." Her steps brought her right into his face, rocking him back on his heels. "You don't frighten me, and I'll not hear a word about my being a female or a Hobbit from someone who's coming in at the tail end of the entire affair!"

Dáin's eyes narrowed and he drew in a breath…only to choke it off as Balin interrupted.

"My lady?" The elder Dwarf stepped into view. "We do need him for a bit."

"Aye," Dwalin grumbled. "Least until the orc army's been dealt with."

"Lady?" Dáin repeated. His shoulders began to relax.

"My lady has the right of it," Balin continued, his steady countenance never wavering. "She has been as loyal and dedicated companion as any Dwarf…and we owe her our lives many times over."

"She faced down Azog." Thorin's quiet words caused his cousin to freeze, a new light of respect beginning to kindle in his face. "She stood over me, standing between he and I, and denied him his victory."

Bella could feel the color rushing to her cheeks as they kept talking. Dáin stepped back, offering her a short bow. "You did us a great service," he acknowledged.

"Piffle," she huffed, letting Thorin draw her back to his side. "I stood up for a friend."

"And yet-."

"Don't bother," Fíli advised his cousin, interrupting as Dáin attempted to speak. "She's stubborn and insists she just does what anyone else would do in such and such a situation."

"Like just anyone would argue with a dragon," Kíli muttered.

"Thorin, you mad, brilliant, lucky bastard." Dáin shook his head. "She'll need a guard then. A female one to stop the fools and cacklers from running their tongues more than they already will." He turned to his army. "Geira!"

"I don't know that-."

"Thank you, cousin." Thorin interrupted her, smirking when Bella frowned at him. "I'm sure her brothers will appreciate your foresight as well."

"Brothers?" Dori, Nori, and Ori stepped up behind Bella and Thorin. Dáin nodded. "That'll stop some of the chatter as well." A female Dwarf – or so Bella guessed – came to attention beside him. He gestured to Bella. "Geira, this is Thorin's lady, Bella." The Dwarf nodded and he continued, "Geira will be your guard for now. You all can discuss it after the battle." A fierce grin lit his face. "And a fine time we'll be having with that one."

Bella rubbed her forehead. "Speaking of mad," she muttered.

"Durin's line, my lady," Geira offered. "They're all that way."

Thorin and Dáin both frowned at her, but Bella managed a chuckle. "Well, at least you and I shall get along," she noted. Her voice stilled in her throat as thunder seemed to roll in the ground beneath her feet. She closed her eyes, trying to concentrate on the feeling. Something in her pocket grew heavy as a dark shadow moved in her mind. Her fingers brushed cold metal…the ring. The cold of the ring almost burned her fingers. "Thorin." The entire Company turned in response to her urgency as she focused on their leader.

He stepped towards her, his hands moving to rest on her shoulders. "Bella?"

"They're here."

Now the rumble grew audible to all with ears. Thorin's hands tightened. "To arms!" His order snapped out and had Dwarves speeding into formation. His eyes turned back to Bella and he released her to reach into his pocket. "There is never time," he muttered. "Never enough time." He took her hand, pressing a small object into it. "Keep this." A powerful emotion moved in his gaze, but what it might be she hesitated to guess. "I will find you after the battle. Stay safe…and I will find you." For a moment he seemed about to say more, but then he pressed his forehead to hers. "Stay safe."

Then he was gone, striding away as he drew Orcrist from its sheath.

"We must move, my lady," Geira insisted.

Bella let herself be rushed through the gate, her heart in her throat as she stared back over her shoulder. She managed one last sighting of her Dwarves as they gathered at Thorin's back, the boys flanking him and the rest creating an arrowhead poised to pierce the enemy. Then she could see no more as the guards began to seal up the gate. She looked down to see what Thorin had pressed into her hand.

A bead…engraved with the mark of Durin.

 _Yavanna, Mahal, protect him. Protect them._

 _ **Are you ready? The time for the rekindling has come.**_ Ringing metal filled Mahal's voice like the forging of a sword. Another voice, one filled with warmth, joined his. _**If you would help them, then the heart and hearth must be renewed.**_

"My lady?"

She blinked free of the voices to meet Geira's watchful gaze. "I need a few moments," Bella informed the Dwarf guard. She closed her fingers over the bead. "Just a few."

Understanding filled the other female's face. "Come then, my lady," she nodded. "I know where you will find quiet."

Bella's eyebrows rose as she followed Geira. "Do you?"

"Aye, my lady. My family fled from Erebor when the beast came. We sought refuge with kinfolk in the Iron Hills, but we are of the people of the Mountain." Geira paused when Tauriel, Sigrid, and Tilda fell in step with them, but she continued at Bella's nod. "My family has served the line of Durin for many generations…and we do not forget."

She grabbed two torches, passing one to Sigrid before leading them down a corridor. Several twists and turns later, she came to a stop at a great doorway. The door had been smashed through, likely by Smaug, but to either side of the entrance Bella could still make out the crest of Durin engraved upon the walls.

"The Royal wing," Geira announced. "No one would bother you here, my lady." She drew herself upright. "I shall see to it."

"Thank you," Bella nodded. She glanced at their three companions. "Please wait here. I just need a few moments." Sigrid and Tilda moved to sit against the wall as Tauriel took up a space next to Geira. "I'll be right back." Geira pushed a torch into her hands and Bella turned away.

Her feet carried her down the large hall, the torchlight casting dancing shadows on the surrounding stone. She moved at a steady pace, her steps never failing despite the unknown layout of the wing. Something tugged at her, pulling her along until she reached a small intimate room. Caution slowed her movements, but she stepped inside nonetheless. The room seemed untouched, too small for Smaug she guessed. A desk sat at one end, opposite a large fireplace.

 _How do they manage to vent that?_

The power tugging at her drew her to the fireplace itself. One stone appeared loose, out of line with the others. She reached out to touch it, drawing her hand back when it shifted beneath her fingers.

 _ **Fear not, my daughter.**_

Soothed by Mahal's voice, Bella reached for the stone once more and pulled it free. Behind the stone she could see a box of some kind. She went to lift it out, but it proved too heavy for her to move with one hand. Empty sconces bookended the mantle, so she placed her torch in one of them. Then she used both hands to take the box out of its hiding place. Torchlight glinted off of the gold box, brightening the room with the glittering fire of its jewels. She tried to open it.

It was locked.

"Now what?" she murmured.

 _ **Do not give up.**_ The new voice seemed distant, both colder than the touch of the Green Lady and yet hotter than that of the Great Smith. _**A star will shine even in the darkest night. Hope ever springs anew.**_

Bella looked around the room, her eyes coming to rest on the desk. She carried the box over and placed it on top of the flat surface. Opening every drawer brought her no new answers, but she knew the solution had to be here somewhere. The task might be difficult, but she could not believe it impossible. She could not have said why opening this box felt so important, but somehow…somehow it did.

"If not the drawers, then where?"

Some old papers littered the desk, held down by her box and a paperweight shaped like a miniature smith's hammer. Old quills still waited in their holders beside two inkwells.

"Two?"

She lifted one of the inkwells, shaking it. The ink had dried long ago and made no sound. When she lifted the second however, she heard a small rattle. The work of a moment had the stopper removed and she upended it, giving it a light shake to dislodge its contents.

A small key dropped into her waiting palm.

Her fingers shook as she unlocked the box. A thin chain of metal lay coiled within. It looked to be silver at first, but no silver had ever held that rich a color. "Mithril," she muttered, reaching out a finger to touch the chain. It felt warm beneath her touch and she drew back.

 _ **Take the chain.**_ Mahal sounded amused. _**I am sure you can think of a use for it. You will need the box for that which is evil. Leave the ring here.**_

"Evil?" she repeated. Then she recalled the cold world of the ring and how it had grown heavier when she heard the thunder under the ground. "My ring?" Uncertainty tinged her voice as something in her rebelled at the idea. "But…"

 _ **The dark burden you carry has no place in the rekindling.**_ Finality hardened Yavanna's voice. _**It must be left behind…but it cannot be left to the winds of chance. You must choose, my little one.**_

Bella bit her lip, the thought of leaving the ring behind making her feel vulnerable. Then the room seemed to waver and she blinked. She found herself in a familiar garden, one surrounded by stone walls inlaid with metal symbols. A dark tie bound her to the chaos she could hear beyond the wall. It was the garden from her dream, the dream she had so long ago at Beorn's home. The metal weapons inlaid in the walls flashed, brightening and darkening over and over again.

 _Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk, agh burzum-ishi krimpatul._

"No," she murmured as the dark tie tightened around her, pulling her towards the crack. "No. I said no then and I say no still."

She blinked and found herself back in the small office staring down at the empty box.

A new voice swept through her mind with the sound of giant wings. _**The others are fighting, fighting so that you might have this chance. If you would break the shadow's hold on this place, then you must first break its hold on yourself.**_

"Thorin." The name echoed into the silent air, painting him in her mind's eye – strong, determined, and as stubborn as the mountain itself. She stood a little taller. "Dori, Nori, and Ori." Her brothers' names gave her the strength to pull the ring out of her pocket. "Fíli and Kíli." Thinking of the boys, their vibrancy and courage, helped her to put the golden circle down into the box. She stared at it, her fingers itching to pick it back up. "Bofur, Bombur, Bifur." They had been among the first to accept her as a friend and now they gave her the impetus to close the box. "Glóin and Óin." The family man and the healer…she could turn the key, locking the box again. She picked it up. "Balin and Dwalin." Picturing her two teachers, she kept them in focus as she returned the box to its hiding place. "The Company." All of them, her Dwarves together gave her all the strength and courage she needed to put the brick back in place. She turned around and tucked the key into her pocket. It needed a new hiding place.

She returned to the desk and picked up the mithril chain. Threading it through Thorin's bead, she clasped it around her throat.

 _ **Well done, my daughter. I am still very proud of you.**_

The deep masculine voice from the garden renewed her energy and she drew herself up. "And now the rekindling?"

 _ **The heart and the hearth – the dominion of the queen.**_ Pictures flashed through her mind and she forced herself to focus, to watch and to remember. _**Do you see?**_

"Yes," she whispered. "I see."

 _ **Then go.**_ The multi-layered harmony of voices sang through the core of her being. _**And know that we are with you.**_

Bella made her way back down the corridor as fast as she could, all but bursting into the great hall. Geira and Tauriel reached for weapons while Sigrid and Tilda jumped to their feet.

The Dwarf woman stepped forward. "My lady?"

"Are you alright?" The Elf examined her.

"Yes," Bella smiled. "Yes, I am quite alright." Her eyes swept the four females gathered before her. She would need them if she wanted to fulfill her task. "There is something I must do," she informed them, her voice filled with a passionate conviction. "Will you help me?"


	24. Rekindling the Heart

_Author's Note: I have been wanting to get to this since at least chapter 12. I hope you enjoy! Translation for Tauriel's prayer: "O Elbereth Starkindler, from heaven gazing afar, to thee I cry now beneath the shadow of death. O look towards me, Everwhite."_

 **Rekindling the Heart**

Hope and fear mingled in Bella's heart as she waited for their answers. She could do this alone, would do this alone if no one chose to aid her, but her work would be stronger with them. Dwarf, Elf, Man, and Hobbit – if the four free peoples could work together in this, the rekindling would be stronger. That would in turn strengthen the land and its people against the forces of the enemy. She could not be quite sure what exactly _would_ happen when she finished her work, but she knew the power of the rekindling would help all folk who called this land home.

"I want to help." Tilda's small voice piped up first. "I don't know what I can do, but I want to help."

Sigrid put an arm around her sister's shoulders and nodded. "What can we do?"

Bella gave them both a grateful smile before turning to Tauriel and Geira. "And you?"

"I have been told the tale of your journey," Tauriel informed her as she peered down at the Hobbit through eyes that managed to be both old and young at the same time. "Tales of all that you have done for your Companions that they might once more have a place to call home. And I have been told you have given your portion of the treasure to be held in trust for the rebuilding of Dale." The other three turned wide-eyed gazes on a now-blushing Bella, but the Elf continued without pause. "Yes," she smiled and reached out to place a hand on Bella's shoulder. "Yes, I shall help you in this task, whatever it may be."

"Thank you," Bella replied, accepting the promise with a nod. Her gaze turned to the Dwarf. "Geira?"

Her guard stared at her for a long moment through emerald eyes, emeralds that softened when they moved to the bead nestled in the hollow of Bella's throat. "My lady," she bowed. "I am at your command."

Bella shook her head, stepping forward to place a hand on Geira's arm. "This task needs volunteers, not assigned soldiers," she corrected in a soft voice. "I need those who love the light, who love this land. Those who are willing to risk themselves if it means the saving of both." Her fingers trembled. "We will have our own battle – not with axes and arrows, but a battle nonetheless." She lifted her chin. "I need to know if you will do this of your own free will…not because your lord commanded you."

"Lord Dáin placed me here," she admitted, "but I think you misunderstand me, my lady. I am at _your_ command." One corner of her mouth curved into a wry smile, pulling up that side of her beard. "If you will have me."

"Ah," Bella drew out the sound. She thought perhaps she understood…though she made a mental note to check with Balin if… _when_ she saw him again. Perhaps this was a Dwarf custom? No matter; for now she would accept. "Thank you, Geira. We are newly met, but…Dáin obviously trusts you, and Thorin trusts him, so…" Her voice trailed off and she shrugged. "I think we might do well together." Mischief slipped into her smile. "You seem willing to call the Durin men on their silliness, so that is another mark in your favor."

"My lady." Geira sketched another short bow, sparing a wink for the two younger females as they giggled.

"Right then." Bella drew in a deep breath. "We must go to the throne," she told them. "And we will need someone…possibly two someones to guard our path. Once we begin our work, we cannot be interrupted."

"What are we doing?" Tilda asked.

"It will be easier to explain once we get there," Bella sighed. She gave the girl an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, but it's a bit difficult to explain."

"Then we best get started." Geira began walking, leading them through the halls once more. "Two of my cousins are helping at the gate. I can draft them as our guards."

"Good."

The five females made their way down to the large hall where Geira left them long enough to collect her kinsfolk. "Here we go, my lady," the Dwarf announced as she returned with two burly male Dwarves in tow. "My cousins, Narin, son of Skirfin, and Regar, son of Ogar."

Both males shot their cousin a look of surprise before bowing to Bella. "My lady," they chorused.

She blinked at them, trying to think of a way to tell them to stop bowing at her, but Geira spoke before Bella could come up with anything. "They will stand guard for us, my lady," she promised. "No one gets past these two when they plant themselves. It would take an army." Her voice rang with familial pride.

"Then they are exactly the ones we need," Bella replied, relief coursing through her. "For now we must go to the throne room."

All three cousins nodded and set off, leading them deeper into the mountain.

When the group finally reached the huge room, their steps slowed but did not stop. The three Dwarves blinked back tears as they walked in, their emotions at being home overcoming them. Bella, Tauriel, and the girls stared in wonder at the huge statues and the deep chasms. The Hobbit glanced down as they began to cross the long walkway leading to the throne. She shuddered at the long drop. "Does no one think of handrails?" she muttered.

No one answered her. They focused instead on the throne as they came to the foot of the steps leading to the carved stone seat.

"The throne of the king." Regar's voice rumbled in the silence. "The center point of Erebor."

"Close enough anyway." Bella gave them a quick smile. "What we need is in the stone above it. Follow me."

The small group made their way around the throne, all of them eyeing it as they stepped to one side. "Bless me," Narin muttered. "A staircase…hidden right behind the throne!"

"And it goes up!" Tilda chirped. "Up into that big rock!"

Bella stepped back to look at the throne once more, staring up at the seat from which Thror had descended into madness – and from which she hoped to watch as Thorin returned his people to prosperity. Her fingers sought the bead at her throat, pressing into the sigil etched along its side. "Green Lady, Great Smith…watch over them," she murmured. Geira and her cousins muttered in their own language, too soft for Bella to catch the words, but from the tone, she surmised they made their own requests to the Valar.

" _A Elbereth Gilthoniel o menel palen-diriel, le nallon sí di'nguruthos._ " All eyes turned towards Tauriel. The Elf stood with eyes closed and her head tilted back. Her quiet voice continued, " _A tiro nin, Fanuilos."_

No one moved for a long moment as silence settled over them. Then a soft movement of air seemed to stir through the room. An almost imperceptible light moved within the air currents, brushing past each of them like a blessing of starlight. They stood a little straighter, their hearts lifting with that touch.

 _ **You have been heard, and I look upon you. I shall always be with you.**_

She knew that voice. Bella remembered it – a voice both cold and hot, both present and distant; a voice that encouraged and warned at the same time.

 _ **Go forth with the blessings of the One. Rekindle the light and drive back the shadow.**_

"You must remain here," Bella informed the two males. "Guard this staircase." Her gaze moved from one to the other. "No one must ascend these stairs until we return." She paused, feeling a nudge – a nudge accompanied by the ringing of a hammer. "Or until the order is countermanded by the king or one of the princes."

"My lady," Narin bowed. "We will await your return."

Regar bowed in his turn. "You may depend upon us, my lady."

"Thank you." She accepted their words with a nod and a gentle smile that she hoped hid her discomfort. What could she do to get them to stop bowing all the time? Giving herself a mental shake, she began to climb the steep staircase. Her task came first; all other details would have to wait. She glanced over her shoulder to the other females. "We go up."

One hand against the wall steadied her body while the fingers of her other hand clasped Thorin's bead to steady her spirit. Each step brought her closer to the fulfillment of her task. Anxiety and anticipation warred in her heart as she feared a failure here more than any of the others before. She could not, must not fail here. Thorin, her brothers, the boys, all of her Dwarves might be saved by her actions here and now. Yes, that had been true before, but never before had the stakes been so high...or well, not that she had known anyway. This time…this time she knew her work might affect a greater battle than that for one small band of Dwarves or one mountain.

Bella pushed the thoughts away. _Thinking like that…it is too big for me. If I think about the bigger picture, I might as well curl up on the floor and cry for Mama. I am just a Hobbit. Home and family…they are enough for me. Let the great ones worry about the fate of the world._

Not that she would not worry about it as well, but she knew her own strengths and weaknesses well enough to know that such a grand focus would overwhelm her. Her Dwarves, their allies, their homes – these she chose to focus on. Those beloved faces would keep her moving when fear might cause her to stumble. For Thorin she could do this. For her brothers, her boys, her friends….for all of them she would finish the task and rekindle the hearth.

The staircase took continued up into the rock itself as it became a dark tunnel – always moving upwards, spiraling as it went. Their torches gave them enough light to see by, but Bella lost all sense of direction. She knew they must still be in the great rock above the throne, but beyond that she could not have described her direction any clearer.

One more turn of the path led them to a small door. She pushed it open and stepped into a dark room. Tilda followed her with one of the torches. The flickering light illuminated the carved stone statue which filled the center of the circular room.

"Oh, my," Sigrid breathed out. She stood beside Bella, her eyes wide as they traced the lines of the stone as if trying to see to the top.

"It's a tree," Geira whispered. "A tree hidden in the mountain."

"A tree carved from the mountain," Tauriel corrected, her voice hushed in awe. Long pale fingers reached out to brush over the trunk. "So real…so very real." She glanced around with delighted wonder. "I almost expect to hear her voice…or to find birds in her branches."

"The heart," Bella murmured. Tears of hope and of joy glistened on her cheeks. "This is the heart – the sign of Yavanna protected in the heart of the mountain of Mahal." Her smile blossomed as she turned to her newest companions. "I must rekindle the hearth, and what is the hearth but the heart of the home?"

"Rekindle…how?" Sigrid asked. "In a hearth you would light a fire, but…there is no place for a fire here."

Bella slipped her hand into the pocket of her jacket, fingers brushing over the Arkenstone. "I must climb up," she replied, sidestepping the question. "I will know what to do when I get up there."

"What must we do to aid you, my lady?" Geira asked.

"This is where I will need you to be strong," Bella sighed. She looked at each of them, her gaze lingering longest on little Tilda. "We must make the heart strong, strong as it has not been in a long, long time." Her eyes slipped closed for a moment as she thought about the best way to include them. A map appeared in her mind's eye, one so detailed and so real that she thought she might be able to reach out and feel the mountains or smell the wind through the trees. It seemed to reset her sense of direction as well and, with that new clarity, she knew what to do. She smiled. "Geira."

"My lady?" The Dwarf guard straightened.

"I need you to stand here." Bella led the Dwarf to the east side of the tree. "When I climb up into the branches, put your hands…" Her voice trailed off and she eyed the female's gauntlets. "Your bare hands mind you – place them on the tree. Then I need you to concentrate on what it is to be a Dwarf, to be a daughter of stone."

Geira stared at her as she stripped the armor from her hands. "…what?"

"Put into your mind the strength of stone, the power of the forge, and the ringing sound of steel," Bella explained.

"To give the heart endurance!" Understanding bloomed in Geira's eyes and she nodded. "I will do that, my lady. Have no fear."

"I trust you." Bella touched her shoulder and then turned to Sigrid. "Will you stand for world of Men? For the passion and the power and the adaptability of Men?"

"I…" Sigrid bit her lip and looked at the tree. "We seem so weak next to Dwarves and Elves," she whispered.

"And yet a Man brought down the dragon," Bella reminded her.

"A Man defeated Sauron," Tauriel agreed. "With help from Elf and Dwarf, but it was by a Man's hand that the enemy fell."

"I have seen Men do things I would have sworn impossible," Geira added. "If it comes to the saving of kith and kin, I have seen them perform great feats of strength and endurance as would make any Dwarf proud."

The girl looked from Elf to Dwarf and then back to the tree. After a long moment of thought, she gave a firm nod. "I will stand for Men." Her voice rang in the quiet room.

"Then stand here," Bella directed her. "In the south – and give to the tree all the fire that makes Men both honorable to friends and dangerous to enemies." Then her gaze turned upwards to Tauriel.

The Elf smiled. "And I shall stand in for all of my kindred?"

"In the west," the Hobbit agreed. "The heart will need patience and wisdom as well as passion and endurance."

"An understanding of sorrow and a love of light," Tauriel murmured, her fingers reaching to caress the stone bark. "I will give all that I have."

"Thank you." Now Bella moved to Tilda.

"Who will I stand for?" the young girl asked. "You've already got Sigrid for Men."

"True," she nodded, "but I must climb the tree and leave my people unrepresented…unless you are willing to stand for me? Will you stand in the north for the Hobbits?"

"But I only know you," Tilda protested. "What can I give to the heart when I don't know any other Hobbits?"

"Innocence," Bella replied, reaching out to take the girl's hands in hers. "A love of the land, of fruit and of flowers. Compassion and the simple joy of family." Her smile grew wistful. "Will you give that to the heart for me?"

Tilda blinked away the tears that sprang to her eyes and she pulled her hands free only to throw her arms around Bella. "I can do that! I promise, I can do that!"

Bella returned the hug with her own embrace. "I know you can. I believe in you." She stepped back. "Thank you…thank you so very much for standing for my people." The girl nodded, brushing away a few more tears with her hand. Now Bella turned in a circle, meeting each gaze with her own. Fierce determination glimmered in each female's face – a determination to fulfill their duty and to win this private battle. "May Eru bless us all," she spoke into the listening silence. "May the Valar guide our hands and our hearts."

With those final words of blessing, she turned to the giant tree and began to climb. Bella only glanced back once and smiled as she saw the other four standing with their hands on the trunk, eyes closed in concentration. Then she looked forward and concentrated on her own task.

She climbed.

Her goal waited at the top of the trunk where the branches spread out to fill the top of the chamber. There she would find the place for the rekindling. She did not know how long she climbed. It might have been minutes…it might have been hours. Time seemed to mean nothing in this room. Only the heart mattered here – nothing else. She heard nothing but her own breath, her own heartbeat. Her mind would wander – to those she left at the roots of this stone tree, to the people waiting in the caverns, to the armies. Her heart pounded as she wondered about the well-being of her Dwarves. Once or twice she felt too weary to continue with the climb. The stone in her pocket seemed to grow heavier as well.

She pushed away the fear with thoughts of Thorin or her brothers. Her fear would not keep her from helping them. When her weariness grew burdensome, she would bring to mind Fíli and Kíli with all their enthusiasm or Dwalin and Balin and their solid dependability. Each of the Company gave her strength to continue moving forward. She had promised to do anything to bring them home.

If that meant climbing a giant stone tree, then she would climb.

At long last her exhausted legs pushed her up the last little bit of space and she found herself staring at a small mithril circlet nestled in a cradle of branches at the top of the trunk.

 _ **Now, my daughter…return the heart and rekindle the hearth.**_

Mahal's voice poured through her mind like molten gold. Bella pulled the Arkenstone out of her pocket. The jewel flashed and pulsed, its light almost burning her eyes. Her fingers grew warm from the energy pouring through its glittering facets. She took a deep breath and held it over its resting place. "For Thorin," she whispered. "Mahal, Yavanna, I return the heart of the mountain to you and I ask that the hearth be rekindled." Bella pressed the stone into place.

Light erupted around her fingers. Music filled the room, awe-inspiring and terrifying in its beauty. Hammers rang in harmony with the creaking of wood as stone and earth filled and overflowed with the power emanating from the rekindled heart. She could not look away from the light though it blinded her. She could not release the stone though her hands burned. Bella became lost to all but sound – the music filled her as the land exulted in its renewal. A multilayered harmony rejoiced in the new power coursing through the land.

 _ **Light and blessing to all free folk!**_

Somehow Bella could feel the mountain come awake in its own way, shrugging off the slumber of years to become strong and alive again. She could feel the strength pouring through the stone and into all who sheltered within its halls and then moving on to those who stood in her defense. Then the light became too strong, too intense, like being flooded with liquid joy and she cried out.

A final burst of light shot through her…and everything went dark.


	25. The Choice

_Author's Note: I had to write this and get it up. I absolutely had to…the characters demanded it!_

 **The Choice**

Bella opened her eyes and stared up into a brilliant blue sky. Clouds drifted across it in a lazy, unhurried fashion as a hawk dipped and soared on the currents below them. A breeze teased the hair on her forehead, bringing the mingled scents of flower and fruit. Her nose twitched. She could pick out orange, lavender, cinnamon, rose, vanilla, and lemon. Next her ears began to hear the singing of birds as the breeze continued to wind its way around her. Peace encircled her like a comfortable and familiar blanket. She felt weightless…at ease with herself and the world around her.

Then her memory began to stir.

"What is it?" she murmured. "Something I must do…but what?"

She glanced up to the sky again as if to seek for an answer, but the sight of it drove the thought from her mind. Though it kept the beautiful blue color, she seemed to see _through_ it…as if the sky were no more than a translucent bowl turned upside down over her and this small patch of green. Stars twinkled overhead; despite the dazzling sunlight, she could make out stars and constellations. She sat up, entranced by the sight.

The breeze rushed by her once more and this time the scents made her dizzy. Rich and heady, the smell of fruit and flower filled her. She felt as though she had walked through her entire life with a head cold and only now breathed in the fullness of apples and gardenia for the first time. Bird song rang out to be answered by the calls of other living creatures, each building their notes into a grand music of life. The vibrant energy surrounded her, pulling her to her feet and calling her to join in their dance.

But she didn't know the steps.

Her eyes drank in the color-drenched land where she stood on a tall hill. Sweeping grasslands and giant forests surrounded her, spreading out across a vast distance. Never before had she seen such a vista – not even when standing upon the height of the Carrock.

"The Carrock," she murmured, another niggle of unease tugging at her.

Laughter distracted her thoughts. Familiar laughter. She spun, trying to find the source. Her eyes grew wide as she now spotted a gate between two giant trees. The gate looked like a common garden gate…but it stood taller than even the door to Beorn's house. More laughter echoed across the grass…and two more voices joined along, making their own harmony, a harmony which blended into the sounds of the surrounding nature.

"Mama?" Bella whispered. "Papa?" She choked back a cry. "Bilbo?"

Her feet began to stumble towards the gate…towards the laughter of her family.

"Bella."

She stopped. That gentle voice too sounded familiar, though she had never before heard it with her ears – only with her mind. Her eyes lingered on the gate for a long moment before she turned towards the voice.

A tall figure stood nearby – like a woman she appeared, too solid for an Elf though and yet too ethereal for the race of Men. Hair the color of rich brown soil curled down her back. A delicate circlet of gold and mithril rested atop her head above eyes the color of deep green which bloomed with warm affection. Green too was her raiment with designs of flowers and fruit picked out in metal threads of every color imaginable. A sense of power flowed from her and through her…a power that caused Bella's knees to tremble.

"Do not fear, my daughter," Yavanna encouraged as she stepped forward to take Bella's hands. "This is my garden and there are few who have greater right than you to be here."

Strength poured into Bella and her tremors ceased. Joy welled up within her heart. "Green Lady!"

"You have done well," the Valar smiled. "Beyond all our hopes, you have conquered and returned life where it had been lost, forsaken."

Memory rushed through Bella. "The heart!" she gasped. "Thorin!"

"Peace!" Yavanna soothed. "Be at peace. Both are well…you saved them both."

"Oh!" Bella sagged as emotions cascaded through her – relief, joy, and then uncertainty. Not fear, but more of a…question. Her eyes sought the rich green of the female before her. "Your garden, Green Lady? This is your garden?"

"It is."

"Then I…" Bella's voice trailed away. After a moment she cleared her throat and tried again. "Am I…am I…dead?" She didn't feel dead. In this place, surrounded by such overwhelming sights and sounds and scents, she felt more alive than she ever felt before.

"Yes," Yavanna replied in a soft tone. Then she chuckled. "And no."

"I'm sorry?" Confusion wrinkled Bella's brow. "How can I be both?"

The Valar released one hand to gesture towards the garden gate. "The moment you enter through the gate, you will indeed have passed from the life you knew before. The world where light and shadow war for supremacy will be behind you and you shall find your rest in my garden, there to remain until such time as your spirit moves beyond the knowledge of the Valar." She retook Bella's hands, holding both of them once more. "For this moment, this eternal now, you are in the space between life and death – one foot in each world as it were."

"But…why? Should I not be one or the other?"

"My daughter." Yavanna's voice deepened with all the affection of a loving mother. "You have done a great service to the world…and to all the forces of light."

"I…I just did what needed doing."

"And this is your greatest gift – to do that which is necessary without thought of a reward." A tall man stepped up beside Yavanna. Shaggy black hair framed a strong handsome face with piercing gold eyes and a short beard. Metal adorned his clothing – all of it in the natural tones of rock and stone. His voice too Bella found familiar.

"Great Smith."

"Hail and well met, my daughter." His smile glinted in the sunlight. "Your humility and compassion do you credit, little one."

Color flushed into her cheeks and she tried to shift the topic. "But…the others are safe?"

"Above and beyond any expectation," Mahal nodded. "Your Companions have come through the battle with their lives intact. All shall bear new scars for their work this day, but they have such stories to tell their children and their children's children."

A small giggle escape her. "And they'll brag over every new scar, I'd wager!"

Laughter spilled from Yavanna and Mahal as they shared her elation. Yet more laughter came through the garden gate and she glanced back towards it. "The garden…" Her voice, barely a murmur now, trailed away.

"The garden awaits you," Yavanna offered, "if you choose to enter."

"Choose?" Bella blinked up at her. "I have a…choice?"

"You have indeed earned the peace of my beloved's garden," Mahal allowed in a solemn voice.

"Bella!"

Her name echoed through the sky and she spun in a circle seeking for the source of that heart-wrenching cry. Never before had she heard her name called in such a desperate fashion.

"You may enter the garden should you wish," the Great Smith continued, "but there are many who would miss you." Sorrow deepened his voice still further. "Many of my children among them."

"Thorin."

Yavanna and Mahal exchanged a glance as she whispered his name. Mahal moved forward and knelt down on one knee that he might look her in the eye. His warm, calloused hand rested on her shoulder. "Here me, daughter of my adoption, beloved of my children – you have a choice to make, a choice given to few among the mortal races."

"I…I do?" She shook her head. "But…why?"

"For your sacrifice." He glanced up to his wife before turning his golden gaze back to Bella. "The final destinies of mortals are unknown to the Valar, decided only by the One, but he lays this choice before you. Should you so choose, you may enter into the garden and find rest for a time – a rest without the shadows, a rest without fear."

Bella nodded. "And…and my other choice?"

"To return to your life upon Arda," he replied. "Though the shadow has been defeated for a time, it will spring up anew. It has not yet been destroyed. It may be that you will return to a life which will yet see more war, more danger." Mahal paused and then gave her a gentle smile. "But it will not be a life lived alone. My mountain will ever be open to you and my children will be your family."

"My parents?" she murmured. "My brother?"

"They rest in the garden," Yavanna answered. "And they will rest there until their journey continues."

Tears pricked Bella's eyes. "So I must choose between them and my Dwarves? Between my two families?"

"Fear not," the lady smiled. "Your parents and your first brother will tarry long in my garden – long enough for you to join them, regardless of how many years pass on Arda. There is no time in the garden…time has no hold there." She brushed a hand over Bella's hair. "They will wait for you."

"Bella!"

Again the cry of her name disrupted the peace of the hilltop. This time, instead of Thorin's voice, she thought she heard her brothers. If she chose to enter the garden…she would lose them. She would be in the garden while they would one day walk in the halls of Mahal. The idea of being separated from them tore at her heart. No matter how peaceful or beautiful the garden, she knew a part of her would be forever broken at their loss. Better that she put off such loss for as long as possible. Tears welled in her eyes and she tried to blink them away. "If…if my parents and Bilbo will wait," she choked, "then please…I would go back."

"Are you certain?" Yavanna asked.

Mahal gazed at the Hobbit with steady eyes. "You must be sure, Bella. The choice cannot be unmade."

One tear spilled down her cheek. "Yes," she replied, her voice wavering despite her conviction. "Please…I want to go back. I want to go back to them."

A new sound rolled through the sky like the ringing of a giant bell. It jolted her, lifting her heart and filling her with new strength. " _ **So let it be.**_ " She heard the voice, deep and penetrating, with her ears, her heart, her mind. Her breath paused, waiting to see if the voice would speak once more. Something in her longed for it, strained to hear that rich, life-giving sound.

"Breathe, my daughter," Yavanna laughed. Understanding wove through her voice. "The One has granted you the wish of your heart."

"And because of your choice," Mahal picked up the thread of conversation, "we may offer you gifts of our own."

"Oh…" Bella blinked, pulling herself out of the dreamy moment of breathlessness. "Oh, but…I don't need anything. Just to be going home is enough."

Booming laughter seemed to bubble up from somewhere deep in Mahal's chest as he shook his head. "You are truly my beloved's daughter, are you not?" he chuckled. "For once, little one, perhaps you will let us be generous without questioning too much?"

"Leave her alone," Yavanna scolded him, affection blazing through her as she nudged him. The love between them almost took form in color and light as their eyes met. Then she tapped one finger on his cheek. "I like her the way she is," she continued. "And since we're going to give her the gifts anyway…" Her voice trailed away as she raised her eyebrows.

"You first then, my love," he nodded, still chuckling under his breath.

"Bella, my daughter," the Green Lady intoned as she placed her fingertips on Bella's forehead. "I give you a gift of long life. I would not return you to your chosen family only for them to lose you too soon. They too are mine…in a way. So I give you the years to share. As your chosen family grows and ages, so shall you."

The gift awed Bella. She had not yet considered what a short life she would have in comparison to her Dwarves but now…now she did not have to fear growing old too soon and leaving them! Fresh tears spilled down her cheeks. "Thank you!" Her voice sounded weak in her own ears, caught as it was in a throat tight with emotion. "Thank you, Green Lady."

Yavanna pulled back, a gentle smile on her face. Those deep green eyes turned to her husband. "My love?"

"I too have a gift for you, daughter of my adoption." The Great Smith tightened his hand on her shoulder. "Though I hope it will be long before you have need of it." Delight sparkled in his eyes. "When next you return to my beloved's garden, you will find a door that only you may pass. This door will never be locked to you…and through it you shall find a passage to my halls. As my daughter you have right to enter within and be reunited with your kindred among my children. I would not see you separated forever from either of the families you love."

Bella buried her face in her hands at this and wept, unable to hold back the tears. Never…never could she have wished for this. Not in her wildest dreams would she have thought that she might be given such gifts. The sheer rush of happiness fountaining in her heart had to go somewhere and it poured forth in tears of joy.

"Peace, daughter." Yavanna and Mahal spoke…or did they sing? Such a harmony as their voices blended…any musician would give everything he owned to try and recreate even a fraction of that music. "Be at peace."

She looked up and found herself far from the hill where the Valar still stood watching her. Instead she found herself at the beginning of a path through the forest.

"Go now." The beautiful harmony flowed with the breeze. "Go back to your kindred and know that you take our blessings and our love with you."

"Thank you!" Bella called out, waving to them. "Thank you so, so, so very much!"

A mist came down and covered the hill as they waved back.

She turned and faced the trees as she dried her cheeks with one sleeve. "Well, no time like the present." Her feet carried her forward into the unknown. No fear darkened her heart, and though she grieved a little that she had not set eyes on her parents or her brother, that grief did not weigh her down. Now she knew beyond question that they were happy and peaceful and beyond all pain.

"Bella!"

Her other family, her Dwarves on the other hand…they needed her. She could now hear her name being called in many voices, all of them dear and beloved to her in their own way. Friends, brothers…and Thorin. His voice she could hear above and beyond all of the others. Her feet hastened until she all but flew down the path. The trees grew closer together, looming ever more the further she went. Shadows deepened and she began to feel aches and pains in her body. She must be getting closer. No fear or pain could live in Yavanna's garden, but Bella could not be sure what type of pain she returned to face. Now she remembered the burning of the heart's rekindling. What did she return to? For a moment she paused, almost stumbling to a stop.

Was she blind? Maimed?

"Bella!"

She gave herself a fierce shake. It didn't matter! All that mattered was returning to her family!

There! The end of the path!

A great fire blazed before her, crackling and giving off such immense heat. She paused, eyeing those dancing flames for a moment. Then she took a deep breath and whispered a plea to the Green Lady and Great Smith.

She jumped.

Bella opened her eyes and stared into a pair of striking blue eyes – eyes the color of sapphires. "Thorin!" she gasped, coughing a bit as her lungs tried to remember how to breathe.

"By Mahal." Those sapphire eyes fell closed and a pair of strong arms hauled her up against his chest. "Bella," he murmured. She continued to cough, leaning into him. "Bella," he repeated as if no other word would do at this moment in time. "Bella."

She curled her fingers around a fold of his shirt. Her voice sounded like the weak mew of a kitten, but it seemed to echo in the room around them. "I'm back."


	26. Home at Last

_Author's Note: Stories and reactions should be in the next chapter! (Barring character interference)_

 **Home at Last**

She must have passed out, for when she next opened her eyes, Bella found herself looking at unfamiliar curtains. Movement took her another few moments, but she managed to pull herself up into a seated position to look around. Confusion swirled in her mind. How had she come to be sleeping in a bedroom? Hadn't she just been leaning into Thorin? Her hand went to her throat and she sighed in relief when her fingers brushed the bead on its mithril chain.

Thick curtains of deep blue surrounded her where she rested on a large four poster bed. The curtains blocked out most of the light though some crept through where they came together. Fluffy pillows and soft sheets met her fingertips as she let her hands explore further. Everything felt clean, free of dirt or dust. Where was she and how had she gotten here? It couldn't be Erebor surely. Nothing so fine as these bedclothes would have survived the years of neglect. No cobwebs, no grit…she might have woken in…well, not Bag End, not with such heavy fabric. Giving herself a good shake, she moved to pull open one of the curtains so she could look around.

Her eyes narrowed against the light and she paused, letting them adjust to the change. The room beyond her bed held little furniture. She saw no carpet or wall hangings, though there were holders for such decorations waiting empty on the stone walls. Light came from the handful of sconces set into the stone and from a fire crackling away in the fireplace. A small table and two chairs sat in front of the hearth and a smile began to blossom on Bella's face as she eyed the Dwarf sitting in one of the chairs.

 _Yavanna bless! Dori!_

Dori sat there, working with some deep green fabric that filled his lap. She watched him in silence, love for her eldest brother a deep note in the music of her soul as she waited for him to finish his task. If he could work at such ease and with no weapon close to hand, then things must be well. Then he picked up the scissors and snipped the thread before smoothing out the fabric to examine his work. Only then did she speak.

"Is it morning or evening?"

His head snapped around and he gaped at her. "Bella!" The beautiful fabric pooled on the floor where he dropped it to rush to her side. "Dear girl, you're awake!"

"Dori." Laughter spilled from her lips as he threw his arms around her and clutched her to him.

"I have been so worried about you," he fussed as he pulled back to look at her. "You slept so deeply, barely waking when the healers checked on you."

"I must have been tired?"

He gave her another hug. "They swore you were alright, no injured or ill in any way, but…" Dori's voice trailed off and he shook his head. "You've slept almost a week."

"A week?" She stared at him. How had she managed to sleep for so long?

The door opened, preventing either of them from speaking further. Óin walked through it and got halfway across the room before he caught sight of Bella standing beside her brother. A smile curved his lips and his pace quickened. He dumped his supplies on the table in order to give her a hard hug of his own. Like Dori before him though, he kept the embrace short. "Good to see you awake, lass!"

"I'm glad to be seen," she chuckled, her earlier disquiet swept away by her joy at seeing him.

"Now I can do a proper examination." Óin's eyes glinted with a smug satisfaction. "And you'll be able to answer my questions."

"I feel fine," she promised. "I'm just a bit confused on the how and when I came to be…here." She waved her hand towards the room. "We are still at Erebor, yes?"

"Oh, yes, of course!" Dori assured her as he hustled over to pull back the curtains of the bed. "Where else would we be?"

"Well…it just seems rather…clean," she replied, trying to find the best way to word her observations.

He frowned at her. "I wouldn't put you in a dirty room!"

"And I wouldn't have allowed it," Óin added as he led her over to the bed. "You needed rest, no to be coughing and sneezing from dust and what all."

"You did spend one day in a healer's tent," Dori continued, helping her to sit. "We needed the day to get this room cleaned and set up, but we wanted you somewhere nice and quiet as soon as possible. With so many hands to help, the work went quickly."

"But…the bedclothes?" she prompted. With the curtains tied back she could see the thick comforter – a quilted piece made up of deep blue and silver fabric in a geometric pattern. Gold and silver embroidery picked out a fanciful design of stars along what little she could see of the border. "Where did you find this?"

"Dáin."

Both Dwarves chorused the reply before Óin began his examination. He checked her over, asking questions and checking reflexes. She tried to protest once, but his worried grumbles and Dori's anxious hovering made it a half-hearted attempt at best. Relieving their worry took precedence over her personal opinions. After all – how would she have felt if one of her Dwarves spent a week asleep?

"Oh!" She sat up, shocked at herself. How had she not already asked?

"What is it?" Óin demanded.

Dori almost pushed the healer out of the way. "Bella, dear, what's the matter?"

"The others?" Her eyes swept from one to the other. "Where is everyone? Are they well?"

"They're safe," her brother soothed. She sagged with relief. "They're out keeping an eye on repairs and the refugees."

"Give me heart failure," Óin huffed. "Thought something hurt."

"I'm sorry?" She offered him an apologetic smile and he sighed, patting her arm.

"Never mind. Only right that you should ask," he allowed. "The others had some bumps and scrapes," the healer continued as he began to pack away his instruments. "They'd have been worse, but…" His voice trailed off and he shook his head. She lifted her eyebrows at him. "Long story," he replied in answer to unasked question. "And you'll need the whole group of us to get the full story."

"And you should know, dear," Dori began in a cautioning voice. "Everyone want to hear your story. The other girls told us what they could, but they didn't know much. You best prepare yourself for questions." He chuckled as she winced. "A great many questions."

"Wonderful." Bella pouted for a moment, but then giggled when the two males laughed at her. She tugged at a lock of her hair. "I need a bath."

"I'll get that arranged," Óin nodded. "It would do you some good." He strode off towards a different door. "It'll just be a moment."

"It's a bathroom," Dori informed her when she made an inquiring noise. "Every craftsman Dáin brought with him spent the first three days going over the plumbing. Thorin decreed the necessities be handled first – since we've got armies and refugees all bunched together." He gave a firm nod. "And a good thing too. It would have been terrible to defeat the orcs just to start losing people to bad water and disease."

"You've all been so busy," she murmured.

"Dwarves are at their best when they've tasks to do," he beamed. "The sooner we get things into workable shape, the sooner the rest of our folk can come home."

"Has Thorin sent for them?" Pride swelled in her heart – a grateful pride, one born of knowing that she had been a part of such a grand undertaking as this. And yet…she wanted to see the others, wanted to see their well-being with her own eyes. Dori and Óin's words had reassured her, but until the Company gathered as a whole once more, there would be something lacking, something off in her world. She lifted a hand to brush her fingertips over the bead at her throat.

"The air has been thick with ravens," Dori nodded as his sharp eyes watched her movements. A light color rose in her cheeks and he helped her to rise before pulling her into another hug. "King or no, he better do this right," he muttered.

"Dori-."

"Don't you 'Dori' me, little miss," he huffed. A smile softened his words. "I have eyes. And no matter what Nori thinks, I am neither blind nor daft." He lifted a brow, his gaze moving back to the bead at her throat before shifting to catch her eyes. "I've seen how you look at him."

"But we don't know what his thoughts are," she sighed, not bothering to deny his assertion.

He gave a soft snort, but Óin returned at that moment. "Water's ready," he declared. "You get in there and get cleaned up. Your brother's got some clothes for you and I'll go round up your guard." He frowned as she blinked at him. "You do want to get out of the room for a bit, yes?"

"Yes!" She all but flew over to throw her arms around him. "Thank you!"

"Yes, yes," he grumbled, though his mouth twitched, belying the gruff voice. "That's enough. Go have your bath."

Bella enjoyed the bath. Just being able to lean back and soak in a full bathtub made her groan in relief. So many days and moths of only having the barest of bathing necessities disappeared with the steam. She soaked for several long minutes before sitting up to start scrubbing and cleaning every strand of hair and every inch of skin. Someone – the healers she would think – had made sure she was clean and kept that way, but that knowledge did nothing to abate the sheer satisfaction at being able to do this herself. She did spare a moment to wonder where the bathing supplies might have come from, but to be perfectly honest – she didn't care. They were here and that was enough.

The water had gone cool by the time she pulled herself out of the bath and began drying off. Peeking into the outer portion of the bathroom, she found a green dress hanging on a peg. Dressing took no time at all and she walked back into the bedroom, still drying her hair. "Do we have a comb?"

Dori rose from his chair and gestured her over. "Come sit in front of the fire," he urged. "That will keep you warm while I do your hair."

"I can brush my hair," she laughed, but let him direct her to a waiting cushion.

"You need braids," he continued, tugging on a damp curl. "Something to pull your hair back, but to show off these curls." A happy sigh filled the air as he began to brush out her hair.

A laugh tried to bubble up in Bella's chest, but she swallowed it back down. If managing her mane of wild curls made him happy, then she would let Dori have his fun. "Where are Nori and Ori?" she asked when he started humming.

"Working," he answered. Her smile grew at the happiness in his voice. "I have no idea what exactly it is Nori's up to, but since Thorin and Dwalin seem happy about it, I would guess it has something to do with security. Balin's got Ori busy with cataloging everything we find as well as helping to clear out the library-."

"Library?" She tried to turn and look at him, but winced when her movement pulled her hair. "Ouch!"

"Sit still then," he scolded. "And yes, of course, there's a library! Balin wanted to see how it had fared. He says the dust is thick enough to wade through, but most of the books and scrolls seem to have survived. Apparently the beast decided it wasn't worth his time since it didn't have any gold or gems." He gave a disgusted scoff. "Only decent thing that creature ever did – not torching the room."

"Can I see the library?" Excitement rolled through her. There would be so many books she had never read before. Then another thought sobered her. "Will I be able to read any of them?"

"There are bound to be some in a language you know." Dori patted her shoulder. "And between Balin and I, we shall teach you to read the others."

Bella held herself very, very still. "I though your language was only for Dwarves."

"Khuzdul is for our folk," he corrected. "Yes, I admit that mostly means it is for Dwarves, but others have learned it. Each of them had been adopted into a family. Secrets are for outsiders." He urged her to face him so he could finish the braids which would hang straight from her temples. "You are one of us, not an outsider."

Her smile bloomed like the sun she felt erupting in her heart – too full of joy to be contained. "Really? I can really learn it?"

"Yes, yes, you silly gooseling," Dori laughed. He tapped a finger on her nose. "Didn't I just say so?" His fingers made fast work of the braids, interspacing a trio of beads in the braid on the right side of her face. Each bore the same family mark, but they held different designs in the border. She almost went cross-eyed as she tried to look at them while he worked.

"What do the borders mean?"

"Hmm?" He finished off the braid before holding it out to tap the beads. "We've had some time in the evenings, so each of us have marked the beads. This one is Ori's – see how the top border looks like a quill?" The next bead had a top border that looked like a key. "And this is Nori's. Mine has the needle. Now everyone will know that all three of us adopted you as kin."

"They're beautiful!" She clapped her hands. "I don't know how you can do such beautiful designs."

"Such simple little things," he insisted, a pleased flush darkening his cheeks. "Now come along, dear heart. Since Óin says you can get out and about, then we'd best go be seen. The others will be unhappy if we don't go find them." Mischief danced in his eyes, making him look more like Nori than usual. "I might have implied that I would send for them the moment you woke. But this surprise will be much, much better."

She giggled. "Then let's go surprise them."

"That's my girl."

Bella and Dori stepped into the hall. Small points of light began to glitter on the wall opposite the door. She stepped closer to look and found tiny gemstones in the smooth stone of the mountain hallway. The white gems glowed. "How amazing!"

"The hall is cut directly into the mountain," Dori pointed out. "You'll see various rocks and gems scattered throughout." Pride lit his eyes as he looked down at her.

"My lady!"

She turned to see Geira hurrying towards them. The walls closest to the Dwarf guard seemed to shine with a yellow gleam that bled towards white as she drew closer. Geira stopped and sketched a bow, a big smile on her face. "It's good to see you up and about!"

"And it's good to be seen," Bella replied, ignoring any formality to give the female a hug. The other returned the embrace with strong arms of her own. "You're alright?" Bella asked as she stepped back.

"Never better, my lady," Geira nodded. "Never better. The others are well," she continued, guessing Bella's next question. "We each slept for a full day, but nothing worse than that. They're down in the meeting with the kings and commanders."

"Even Tilda?"

"Oh, yes," Geira chuckled. "You couldn't keep her away." She rolled her eyes. "Not that some of the high and mighty didn't try, but…"

Dori gave an amused snort. "Thorin gave her and her sister free run of the mountain," he explained. "They're allowed anywhere they've deemed safe. Anybody that tries to interfere with those two will get a nasty surprise."

Bella's eyebrows rose. "And what brought that on?" The two Dwarves exchanged a glance and she narrowed her eyes. "No keeping secrets," she warned.

"Have you noticed the walls, my lady?" Geira asked.

"That best not be an attempt to distract me," Bella sighed. "Yes, the white stones are…" Her voice trailed off as she glanced at the wall. She frowned. "Well it was just the white stones. Now both white and yellow are glowing."

"The yellow are because of me." Geira spread her hands, mirth and awe mingling in her voice. "Ever since the battle…the citrine stones all begin to glow when I walk in a room."

"The ones attached to the mountain in some way," Dori noted.

"Right." The Dwarf female reached out and touched the wall. The yellow glow grew brighter for a moment. "And now the diamonds brighten for you."

"But what…?" Bella shook her head. "What does that mean?"

Dori put an arm around her shoulder. "You five…somehow you brought the mountain to life."

"The heart," she whispered and reached out to touch the wall. Diamond gleamed and glittered as her fingers brushed them. They almost outshone the torchlight. She felt contentment roll through her as a humming seemed to fill her ears. Both feelings dimmed but did not disappear as she pulled her hand back. "The others? Tauriel and the girls?"

"All of the emeralds start shining whenever Tilda walks into a room," Geira laughed. "And Sigrid brings rubies to life."

"Dáin's most stubborn advisors got a shock when Tauriel walked into one of their meetings," Dori smirked. "First Thorin and the boys being so accepting of her, along with the rest of the company of course, but then Erebor herself started favoring her in a way they couldn't argue away." Bella tilted her head and his smirk shifted into a real smile. "The sapphires," he explained. "They glow for her." Geira chuckled, mischief glittering in her smile as he continued. "She walked into an official meeting and they were all set to raise a fuss when every sapphire began gleaming – especially the large sapphire set in Durin's crest behind the king's chair."

Bella began laughing, leaning into him. "Oh, oh, oh," she held onto her sides. "I would have loved to have seen that!"

They shared a few moments of laughter before Dori began to urge them forward once more. "We really must find the others," he noted. "I'll be in enough trouble as it is."

"I'll protect you," Bella promised, laughter still warm in her voice.

They made their way through the halls, but she had to be pushed along more than once as she wanted to stop and stare in surprise at the work being done throughout the mountain. "All this…in a week?"

"Lord Dáin's army has more than just fighting skills," Geira pointed out. "And the Men have been helping in the areas close to the front entrance."

"The Elves?"

"They've been working outside," Dori replied. "Dwarves and Men have been helping their as well. Battle…it's never clean."

"This is so…" Her voice trailed off as she shook her head. She went to ask another question when a pair of nearby Dwarves caught sight of them and stopped working. They stared for a moment before bowing.

"Acknowledge them," Dori murmured into her ear.

So Bella nodded back with a smile before Dori urged her back into motion. She glanced back over her shoulder as they passed and noticed the two waited until the group had walked by before going back to work. "Dori," she began.

"It's a sign of respect." He patted her shoulder. "Don't fuss."

"They don't need to be bowing at me," she hissed back, doing her best to keep her voice low.

"Yes, they do." Geira's firm voice brooked no contradiction.

Bella wanted to argue, but they started to come upon more and more workers. She didn't want to argue with her newest friend in public, so she held her tongue. That became more and more challenging as everyone they passed seemed determined to bow. "Yavanna bless," she muttered. "This is the silliest thing – all these people bowing at a simple Hobbit."

"You are not a simple anything!" Dori puffed up in indignation.

"Yes, I am," she insisted. "I'm-."

"My sister," he interrupted. "And a Companion of Thorin Oakenshield. As well as a heroine."

Color rose in Bella's cheeks yet again. "But-."

"But nothing. Ask any of the others and they'll say the exact same."

She opened her mouth, but Geira spoke up first. "We're here."

Two guards stood outside an open door through which Bella could hear voices, both familiar and unfamiliar. The Dwarves standing guard straightened as they came closer and then bowed to her. She smiled and nodded, but paused to peer inside the room. Sapphires, rubies, and emeralds glittered on the walls, adding to what appeared to be sunlight. Not that she could see any windows. She would have to ask about that later. Her lips curved into a smile as she picked out the other three females from amongst those gathered around the table. They sat between Bard and Kíli - Sigrid beside her father and Tauriel beside the Dwarf prince with Tilda in the middle. Thorin sat at the head of the table, flanked by his nephews. Dáin sat beside Fíli. A mixed bag of Dwarves, Elves, and Men sat around the rest of the table. Thranduil and Bard both held seats of honor, as did Gandalf, but Bella nodded as she saw all of her Dwarves present as well, save for Dori and Óin. She frowned over the missing Dwarf, only to smile as he walked up to the three of them.

"I'm running late," he huffed. "As if I didn't have better things to be doing than sitting around listening to a bunch of talk." Then he frowned at her. "Why are you loitering in the doorway?"

"I'm just waiting for the right moment to interrupt," she assured him.

He gave her a small push. "It's always the right moment for you, lass."

They might have gone unnoticed upon entering had the walls not begun to blaze with light. The room seemed awash in color as white and yellow glows joined the green, blue, and red. Heads all around the table snapped up and around to stare at the small group beside the door. For a moment no one moved – they just stared.

A shriek of delight split the silence.

Everyone jumped, but Tilda ignored them all to dash across the room. The little girl threw herself at Bella. "You're awake!"

Tears pricked Bella's eyes as she returned the hug. "I'm awake," she agreed, rocking a bit where she stood. "I'm awake." She brushed a hand down the girl's hair when the young one sniffled. "Hush now," she soothed. "Everything's going to be all right."

"We've been worried about you." Sigrid joined them. "Everyone insisted nothing was wrong, but you wouldn't wake up."

"I'm awake now," Bella repeated, turning a comforting smile on the older girl.

Tauriel placed a hand on Sigrid's shoulder as she gave Bella a welcoming smile. "And we are glad to see you."

A cleared throat drew all eyes to the head of the table. Thorin stood there, but his eyes remained fixed on Bella. "The meeting is adjourned," he announced without looking away from her. "We will continue tomorrow." He began striding towards her, the rest of their Companions following along, as people cleared the room. The hint of what might have been a smile crossed Thranduil's lips before he strolled away; she couldn't be sure. Bard gave his daughters a long look before nodding at them. He and his son left, allowing the girls to remain. Bella's four female friends stepped back out of the way, stopping beside where Gandalf leaned on his staff to watch the reunion. Dáin stood at the Wizard's other side, eyes snapping with amusement as he too watched the show.

Bella's lips twitched as three of Companions – Kíli, Bifur, and Nori – decided trying to go around the table took too much time. Kíli and Bifur climbed over it while Nori dove under and wormed his way through various the various legs of table, chairs, and people.

"Nori…"

Dori's quiet groan behind ensured her brightest smile as the Company converged on her. She found herself being pulled in various directions, hugged and petted and swung around. Words flew by – some she could make out and some she couldn't, but it didn't matter. The exact words meant nothing; the emotions behind them meant everything. Love and laughter and relief filled the room with more light than the still glowing gems. She returned each hug with abandon, pressing kisses to cheeks and using the touch of a hand or the scan of an eye to determine each one's well-being.

Then she found herself standing in front of Thorin.

He stared down at her, his hands warm and strong where they held her shoulders. "Bella."

"Thorin." Happy tears pricked her eyes and she raised her hands to clasp his forearms. He looked well – hale and whole and hearty despite still-healing bruises and a new scar at his temple.

"I've missed you," he murmured, the words so low that she almost couldn't hear them. Emotions flashed through his eyes – so many and so fast that she would have been hard-pressed to put a name to any of them. They settled and her breath caught at the intensity of his gaze. Then his hands tightened and he leaned down to press his forehead to hers. "I have missed you, my burglar."

"I didn't mean to worry you," she murmured.

They stood there, gazes locked as silence wrapped around them.

"I'll always worry," Thorin replied after a long moment. Fear flickered in his gaze before being pushed aside by the burn of something deep and warm and…she hesitated to name it. She didn't want to be wrong. Then he spoke once more and the hope in her heart unfurled, kindling into a steady flame. "Please…don't go where I can't follow."

"I'm not going anywhere," she assured him. "I promise."

His lips began to curve into a smile.

"Excellent!" Bofur's voice boomed out, startling both of them. They pulled back from one another and Bella felt her cheeks flush as she caught the fond and teasing expressions of the Dwarves surrounding her. "Then maybe you could spare us a moment or two? There are stories to be told!"

"And the Company deserves some time together," Balin nodded as he beamed at them both, his smile full of smug pride.

Thorin folded his arms over his chest, glaring around the circle of them. "One of these days I shall remember that I can throw all of you out." The exasperated affection in his voice took any sting out of his words.

"Aye, you could," Dwalin shrugged. "But then you'd have to do the work yourself." Mischief stole over his face and he smirked. "Including the paperwork."

The king opened his mouth to respond and Kíli took advantage of his distraction to whirl Bella out of his grasp. "Storytime!" the youngest prince called out, winking at Tilda and Sigrid as he pulled the laughing Hobbit towards the table.

"Kíli!"

Laughter rolled through the room at Thorin's exclamation and Bella's heart swelled with it. Home…she was home at last.


	27. Storytime

_Author's Note: So…a couple more pairings began to suggest themselves to me. I'll see how they spin out, shall I? Also – my apologies for the short shrift given to the actual BotFA. (And I'm changing it up anyway – let's hear it for alliances.) Also, I hope this isn't too repetitive, but I need Bella to tell them the basics. Stories and reactions…part 1?_

 **Storytime**

"Will you tell us?" Fíli ventured the question. His eyes flickered to the glittering walls before steadying on her. "Will you tell us what happened?"

"Of course," she smiled. "My own brother might disown me if I didn't." She tossed a teasing smile at Ori. "The chronicles must be complete, mustn't they?" Everyone laughed, even her brother, and she squeezed Thorin's hand. "But first?" They fell silent, expressions open and expectant. "First of all, I'm afraid I'm a bit hungry. Please tell me we found food in all this mess?"

"Great Mahal!" Bombur exclaimed, his eyes going wide. "You haven't eaten!" He began to push his way out of the crowd and Tilda followed him, giggling as she went. "Stories must wait until she's been fed," he ordered. "Sit! I'll get some dinner organized."

People began moving, but Bella stared after him, her mouth open in surprise at the change in her friend. Thorin took advantage of Bombur's distraction to steal Bella back from his nephew. "No one argues with the royal chef when it comes to food," he told her as he steered her towards the table.

"Royal chef?" she repeated, turning to look at him. Then she held up a hand and shook her head. "No, no, wait. We must have the stories in some kind of order or we'll be getting the details all mixed up."

"Yours first," Ori insisted.

"Maybe I should hear yours first?" she suggested. Her voice gentled when his face fell. "Since I'm the only one who doesn't know it as yet."

"There was a big fight, lass," Dwalin shrugged.

She frowned at him. "Perhaps Balin or Ori could tell me?"

"We'll sit down first," Thorin laughed, holding out a chair for her. "If we start now, Bombur will interrupt when he returns with your dinner."

"And he'll fuss," Bofur agreed.

Bella did her best to repress a smile as Thorin sat down beside her despite Dori's annoyed huff. Her eldest brother took the seat on her other side, still frowning at the king. She looked away from the staring contest to see how the rest of the Company and their friends arranged themselves. Dwalin sat opposite Thorin at the far end of the table, placing himself between the door and the Company, while Ori sat to his left, journal and quill prepared and waiting for the tales to begin. Óin took the chair beside her brother and she decided he planned to read over Ori's shoulder if he missed some of the conversation. Glóin sat beside his brother, the two remaining close as they had been throughout most of the quest. A sturdy, if empty chair waited for Bombur on his left.

Tapping noises drew her attention and her eyes flickered to where Dori's fingers beat against the arm of his chair. She risked a glance at his face, but the concentration she found there told her now would not be the time to try interfering.

Instead she looked back to the table and found Dáin watching her through twinkling eyes. She had to bite her lip to keep from laughing as he shifted his gaze to the two males before rolling them at her. Kíli, sitting next to his kinsman, couldn't or wouldn't do the same. His chortling drew a fond look from the Elf beside him, though Tauriel managed to restrain her own reaction to a small smile…a smile that deepened as the girl beside her turned a laugh into a cough. Sigrid leaned over and whispered something to Fíli that Bella could not hear. The elder prince stroked his moustache braids, but Bella suspected he covered a smile. Then he shook his head and whispered a reply. Sigrid brought both hands up to her lips, pressing her fingers flat against her mouth as she closed her eyes. Her shoulders shook with suppressed laughter. The curious Hobbit raised her eyebrows at the Dwarf who gave her an innocent smile in return.

She shook her head – she would speak with him later – and continued her perusal of the table by returning to the opposite end.

Geira sat on Dwalin's right with Nori beside her. Bella narrowed her eyes. Nori appeared to be flirting with Geira…and Dwalin scowled at him. She made herself a mental note to speak with the female at a later time. What had been going on for the past week? Bofur's head kept moving as he turned his gaze between the three Dwarves beside him to the two Dwarves still locked in their silent argument. His eyes danced, but Bifur poked him in the side every time he opened his mouth to speak. How the grizzled Dwarf managed without looking, Bella could not guess. Bifur muttered something to Gandalf and the Wizard's little smirk broadened into a smile as he nodded in reply. Balin shook his head at both of them. They frowned, but then he made his own comment with a wry smile and had both of them chuckling.

 _Hmm…I had best start scheduling all these little talks I need to be having._

Tilda hurried back into the room, but came to a stop as the quiet took her by surprise. Wide eyes scanned the table before focusing on Thorin and Dori. She tilted her head as she watched them and Bombur appeared beside her. He did his own staring for a moment, taking in the scene. One hand waved to someone outside the door while he leaned down to whisper in the girl's ear. Tilda giggled and moved to the empty chair next to Dori. She scrambled into it, prompting the Dwarf to break away from his silent battle with Thorin in order to help her. She gave Bella a conspiratorial smile.

 _Clever girl._ Bella glanced over to Bombur in time to catch his wink. She gave him what she hoped was a grateful, relieved smile. _And thank Yavanna for good friends!_

Soft waves of contentment drifted through her mind and she closed her eyes to let them wash over her.

"Bella?"

"Hmm?" She blinked her eyes open to meet Thorin's worried gaze. "I'm sorry?"

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, of course," she assured him. Then she realized everyone had turned to her, their expressions having shifted from amused to concerned. "Truly, I am fine. I just…" She spread her hands. "Erebor is…" Again her words trailed off as she tried to think of how to explain the sensation.

"She's getting used to hearing the mountain," Geira informed them. "The rest of us have had a week."

"Erebor is happy!" Tilda chirped. "She likes having people here."

Smiles blossomed all around the table as the Dwarves turned to her. The girl might have glanced down or blushed at the attention a week ago, but Bella's own smile bloomed as she observed Tilda's confidence and comfort with the Company. "And I shall become accustomed to it myself," she nodded. "Just give me a couple of days."

"You're going to have someone following you," Sigrid informed her. Bella frowned and the young woman shook her head. "No, it's a good thing," she insisted. "Erebor starts talking and you get a little caught up in her." Her smile turned wry. "I almost walked off a ledge."

Bella's eyes grew wide and Dori patted her arm. "Don't worry, dear," he said. "No one's going to let anything happen – to you or to any of the others."

"Has anyone considered railings?" she muttered and he chuckled.

Bombur's people strode into the room bearing great platters of food, pitchers of various drinks, and all the necessary accessories for a meal. The room descended into organized chaos as people sought to fill their plates. Meat and fish made up the majority of the offerings, but Bella gave a happy sigh as she spied a large salad and some grilled vegetables as well. Dori made sure to add several of these to Tilda's plate, fussing over the girl like a good uncle.

Thorin took advantage of his distraction and helped Bella. "He's being overprotective," the king grumbled, though she noted he kept his voice too low for Dori to hear.

"Does he need to be?" she murmured in reply, a teasing note in her voice.

"He might." Mischief glittered in his eyes, reminding her of Kíli for a moment. Age and worry dropped away from him, giving her a glimpse of the Dwarf he might have been had the burden of his people's lives not fallen on his shoulders. For a moment she sorrowed that she had not had a chance to meet him at such a time, but then another realization burst within her.

That would not have been the Thorin she had come to love.

Thorin, for all his faults, bore his duties well, putting his people above his own well-being. The suffering and trials had made the Dwarf who sat beside her, and while she would never wish pain on a person, she loved who he was…not who he might have been.

Besides – the world did not need two Kíli's.

And she would make it a lifetime task to bring that mischievous smile to Thorin's face as often as she could.

Dinner passed quickly. Bella could not say why the others were hungry, but she had apparently spent an entire week on nothing more than what gruel the healers could get her to swallow. Her stomach demanded real food, though Óin insisted she stick to light foods. She wanted to protest, but after a bit of chicken soup and salad, she could manage no more. The attendants cleared the table and left, closing the door to assure the Company and their friends some privacy.

"Told you, lass," the healer commiserated. "You'll be on lighter meals like soups for a few days until your stomach gets used to eating. Any heavier and you'll be sick."

Bella sat back with an unhappy sigh. "Well then," she decided, "if I can't eat real food, then it's time for someone to tell me your story." She directed a mock scowl at Dwalin. "Someone who will elaborate a little more than 'a big fight' if you please."

"It's what happened, lass," Dwalin shrugged. Laughter circled the table.

"An accurate, if abbreviated summary," Gandalf allowed. Bella glared and he lifted his hands in surrender. "I believe the enemy expected to find us disorganized and at war with each other," the Wizard continued. "Azog led his army-."

"From behind," Dáin sniffed. "Cowardly piece of filth."

"He stood on Ravenhill," Balin explained when she frowned. "Giving his orders from there as his army approached the mountain."

"With the free folk united, we could focus our defense efforts," Gandalf continued, more patient with the interruption than Bella could recall seeing him. The victory must have settled some of his anxieties. "Elf archers took their places on the heights while the Dwarf army and the Elf swordsmen spread out in front."

"And the Men?" she prompted, her eyes flitting from Sigrid to Tilda and back to Gandalf.

"Clever bastards," Dwalin replied, a sharp grin creasing his features.

"Brave ones," Fíli nodded. "They lay in wait, hidden in some of the smaller rock formations. When the orcs passed, they came up and fired arrows or spears into the mass of bodies before pulling back to join the rest of us. Enough orcs went down to bunch them up, them thinking they had enemies trying to outflank them."

Thorin leaned forward. "It meant we hit more of them as we charged."

"Then things became a great deal more confusing." Gandalf took up his story once more. "As battles are wont to do. It becomes difficult to see who is where and doing what. Each warrior will have their own story to tell, but suffice it to say all fought and fought well." He paused as his eyes filled with memories. Then he seemed to give himself a small shake. "With the archers on the shoulders of the mountain, they spotted another part of Azog's army attempting to attack from behind. They began picking them off."

"Then came the bats," Kíli groused. "I hate bats."

"Thranduil's son came with them, flying in holding onto one of the things," Glóin chuckled. "What's that boy's name again?"

"Legolas," Tauriel replied. A frown crossed Kíli's face but he said nothing. "And his arrival was not the most unusual," she pointed out. "Not from what I've been told."

"True enough," Dáin laughed. "Giant eagles came soaring out of the sun," the Dwarf lord explained as Bella raised her eyebrows. "Then I saw someone jump off the back of one – a giant Man I thought him. Then," he smacked his hand against the table, "he went and turned himself into a giant bear before he reached the ground. Orcs flew with every swipe of a paw!"

"Beorn?" Bella turned to Thorin. "Beorn is here?"

"Outside," he nodded. "He's spent his time hunting stragglers. If Óin agrees, I'll take you out to him." Dori cleared his throat and Thorin's eyebrow twitched, but he continued as if he had not been interrupted. "If you wish?"

"I would like that," she agreed, careful to keep her eyes fixed on him. She had the feeling she might start giggling if she so much as glanced at one of her brothers.

"Can I go?" Tilda asked. Sigrid cleared her throat and the younger sister sighed. " _May_ I go? Please?"

"Of course," Thorin smiled at her.

"Might as well make a full party of it," Bofur called out. He waved a hand towards Geira and Dwalin. "Between Bella's guard and yours, not to mention the girls' guardians, you'll have a large group as it is." He shrugged. "Might as well take the entire Company."

"Good idea," Nori smirked. 

"What about the battle?" Bella pressed on, rolling her eyes at her brother. "After Beorn arrived?"

"Thorin and his merry band of idiots went after Azog," Dáin informed her, glaring at his cousin.

"If you want to kill a beast, you cut off its head," Thorin sighed. Apparently they'd had this discussion more than once.

"And it turned out to be a trap!"

"It was the only way to break the back of the enemy's army!" Thorin's voice grew sharper.

Only to be matched by Dáin's. "What would you have done if the mountain hadn't woken up?"

"It is pointless to argue," Balin broke in. "We cannot know what might have happened or how we might have reacted had the situation been any different."

"Indeed," Gandalf agreed. Something akin to awe began to glow in the Wizard's face. "The mountain came alive beneath us. The very stones glowed with a light that returned courage and determination to the weakest of hearts." A grim humor crossed his face. "The same light hurt the enemy."

"Boulders fell," Ori nodded from where he sat making notes. "They fell just in time to land on orcs or trolls."

"Every growing thing within sight of the mountain became a danger and a trap to the orcs," Nori grinned. "Never saw such easy targets as wargs wrapped up in clinging vines."

"The fight became a rout between the mountain, the bear, and the eagles," Dáin chuffed, though he still glared at Thorin.

"Erebor took particular attention of Thorin and the boys," Dori continued. "She seemed to take a good deal of offense at Azog as well. He couldn't find firm footing anywhere, not even when Thorin stood as if rooted in stone."

"You killed him?"

"I dealt the killing blow," he nodded, "but the mountain herself might have finished him without my aid." He grimaced. "I might have left him to her, but…I did not want to sully her awakening…" His voice trailed away.

"Good." Her firm voice drew a smile back to his lips. "Then what?"

"The enemy broke with the death of their leader," Gandalf replied. "They ran and the eagles followed, watching to make sure they truly retreated. We were left to deal with our wounded and the dead on the field." Sorrow shadowed his eyes. "There were many, though not so many as we feared."

"And we came to find out what had happened within the mountain to bring her to life," Dwalin added.

"I came to see what you'd done to yourself, lass," Óin corrected. "Knew as soon as the rocks started glowing and acting up that you'd been in the middle of something."

"Oh, really?" she demanded.

He nodded. "You usually are."

"I'm not sure if that's good or bad," she grumbled.

Balin stepped in. "Regardless of which it may be, we knew something had happened. So we came to find out. Then the guards beside the throne refused to let us pass."

"My own soldiers," Dáin pointed out, though his grin belied any anger. "Said they were under orders not to move for anyone less than the king or the princes. Had your friends madder than flashfire."

"You didn't hurt them?" Bella frowned, glancing at her Dwarves.

"Thorin came striding up before things got nasty," Bombur assured her.

"Lucky for them," Dwalin muttered, ignoring the sharp look from Geira.

Dori's lips thinned. "We found you – all of you – unconscious."

"I'm sorry if you were worried," she apologized. "I didn't know it would be quite so…dramatic."

"And that means it's your turn to tell us what happened," Ori informed her. He pulled his journal closer as he dipped his quill back in the ink. Then he fixed an expectant gaze on her.

"I have to go back a bit for my story," Bella explained. "Back to an odd dream I had when we stayed at Beorn's house." Gandalf, Dáin, and the other females looked perplexed while her Company exchanged confused glances. "I know most of you heard when I told Thorin about the dream, but for those who don't know, let me explain." Telling the story of her dream only took a few minutes, but bewilderment still lingered on her listeners' faces.

Save for Gandalf…comprehension began to overtake the Wizard's expression.

Tilda lifted a hand. "Who did the weapons represent?"

"The Company," Bella replied, happy to have a simple question. She gestured around the table. "Each of them were represented." Then she folded her hands in her lap. "But we'll have to discuss the dream later if you please. I just needed to start with it because that was when I first heard one of the voices."

"Voices?" Dori's eyes gleamed with concern.

"Let her tell it," Gandalf instructed. His voice took on a commanding note. "You must hear the story in full if you are to understand."

"Thank you," Bella nodded. She gave Dori a tremulous smile before dropping her eyes. "Yes…voices." Her fingers trembled and she clenched her hands tighter in an attempt to still them. A larger hand reached over to enfold hers. Looking up she met Thorin's gaze.

"Go on," he urged, squeezing her fingers.

With his hand to steady her, she found the strength to continue. "I didn't hear anything more until we escaped from Thranduil's realm. When I was in the river…" She shuddered. "When the water ripped me away from Nori's barrel…I almost gave up. The water closed over my head and I couldn't figure out which way was up." Another shiver ran down her back. Thorin's hand tightened yet again and Dori wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"We have you, dear girl," her brother assured. "You're safe with us."

"I know." Gratitude rushed through her and she drew in a deep breath. "I heard another voice then – as if the water spoke to me. It encouraged me enough to continue fighting. Then I heard them again after we left Laketown, but after I stepped into Erebor…" Her voice trailed off as she gazed into her memories.

"Bella?"

Thorin's voice shook her free and she blinked at him. The worry in his face prompted her to offer a smile. "Sorry," she chuckled, "but it has been a busy bit of time, hasn't it?"

Now Balin began to chuckle. "My lady," he shook his head, "that would be an understatement."

Bella shifted her hands so she could clasp Thorin's, wanting to anchor herself. Her eyes glanced around the table as she continued. "One voice in particular made himself known after I entered Erebor – a voice that held within it the sound of a hammer striking metal."

"Himself?"

"A hammer?"

"Mahal!"

The overlapping questions might have made her laugh, but the name drew her eyes to Dwalin like a magnet. He stared at her, a fierce light of understanding burning in his gaze. She nodded. "Yes," she replied, though his voice held no question. "The Great Smith spoke to me." The rest of the Dwarves turned wide-eyed stares on her though she thought she could see understanding rising in Balin's as well. Her shoulders began to hunch but she forced them to straighten out as she lifted her chin. "Well, he did."

"And…and what did he say?" came Kíli's hushed voice.

"He welcomed me," she told him, an awe-filled smile curving her lips. Now her Dwarves began to smile in return, warmth and a smug satisfaction filling their faces. "Then he asked me if I was willing to help heal that which had been sundered." Her smile wavered. "I could feel the mountain then and it…she…felt wounded. What could I do but agree?"

Dori's arm tightened and he pulled her close to press a kiss to her temple. "You are a sweetheart," he sighed. "And we'll be keeping an eye on you to make sure that soft heart of yours doesn't get you hurt."

"Two eyes whenever possible," Thorin muttered. The two males exchanged a speaking glance and she felt like rolling her own eyes. Apparently no matter what differences of opinion they might have on anything else, being overprotective of her could unite them.

"Anyway," she continued with a sigh, "he's the one who prompted me to speak when Thorin wavered." She winced. _There might have been a better way to put that._

 _ **My son has faced his own weakness. He is the stronger for it.**_

Mahal's voice eased her concerns even as Thorin gave her a wry smile. "I told them," he assured her. "They needed to know…in case something happened." His shoulders lifted in a shrug. "But it appears you took care of that as well – the treasure has been cleansed of its curse."

"How did that happen?" she demanded.

"No, no, no!" Ori's voice rang down the table. "You have to finish your story first!"

Everyone laughed as she turned a narrow-eyed look on him. He gave her a firm glare. "Stop that!" She huffed out a quick breath. "You look like Dori when you do that." Color rushed into Ori's cheeks and Dori gave a sharp tug to one of her braids. "Ouch!"

"Mind your sass, little miss," he ordered. "And leave your brother alone."

Bella pursed her lips. "After I called Thorin back to his senses, I thought about giving him the Arkenstone," she continued, sending Ori an apologetic look. He smiled and picked up his quill. "I had found it while I was talking to Smaug. But then I heard the deep voice from the garden – and he told me I would have to awaken the hearth." She paused and shook her head. "Everything got a bit busy at that point between people arriving and war planning and everything else, but when you all went out to fight…"

"You had your own battle to wage?" Fíli offered as her voice trailed off.

"Exactly," she agreed, grateful for the assistance. "I had to rekindle the heart and the hearth. I think… Well, the voice called it the dominion of the queen." Thorin's hand tightened on hers, but she did her best to avoid looking at him, not sure of what he might be thinking. "I think it may have been the responsibility of Durin's wife."

"Yavanna's daughter," Balin breathed out, understanding washing through his face.

"The tree." Bella's smile deepened. "A symbol of the Green Lady protected at the center of the mountain."

"And you returned her heart."

Now she turned to face Thorin. "Yes."

"Why the others?"

Bofur's question broke the silence, causing her to jump. She turned startled eyes on him. "I'm sorry… What?"

"Why the others?" he repeated. He waved a hand at the other females. "The girls?"

Amusement flashed through Tauriel's eyes as she glanced down the table. "Girls?"

"Not sure it applies to Geira," the miner mused. Then he raised his brows at her. "But you fit in with that lot," he continued, nodding at the princes and Sigrid before grinning at Tilda. "Might as well include you with them." The Elf shook her head but held her silence. Bofur chuckled. "That's not a denial, lass."

"You best take control back," Dori murmured in Bella's ear. "It'll only get worse from here if you don't."

"I needed them." Her voice brought the room's focus back to her story. "I could have done it alone…and I would have, but…I knew the rekindling would be stronger if more of us helped. If representatives of all of the free folk worked to heal the wound, then maybe…maybe it would help with our own wounds."

Tilda clapped her hands. "I got to represent the Hobbits!"

"She did," Bella agreed as everyone chuckled. "Since I had to climb up to put the heart in place, she agreed to stand for me and my folk at the base. Sigrid represented the race of Men while Tauriel brought the gifts of the Elves. Geira stood for the Dwarves." Her eyes grew distant. "Then came the rekindling…everything went bright, so bright. I couldn't see… The light burned my hands."

"It burned everything." Sigrid's soft voice took up the story. Her lips trembled and Fíli put an arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him. "I couldn't see anything but light – a light filled with colors I couldn't even begin to name. And all I could hear was the sound of a distant drum."

"Erebor's heartbeat," Geira agreed. "Like a war drum..."

"And the smell of fire." Tauriel reached for Kíli's hand, her fingers tightening when he laced his through them. "I felt as though I stood in the heart of a giant blaze, but it comforted me…warmed me."

The room fell silent.

"That is what cleansed the gold." Gandalf's words hung in the quiet. "The fire of the rekindled heart of the mountain purified it. Now you only have to deal with regular greed, not a shadow haunted greed of the curse." He tapped one finger on the table. "And they – those who kindled the heart – they are all tied to Erebor now."

"The stones," Thorin guessed. His thumb moved over Bella's fingers and she slanted a look towards him. He gave her a crooked smile. "You helped us win back our home as you promised…and you stole a bit of it for yourself, my burglar."

"Yes," the Wizard nodded. "They gave her back her heart, and the mountain claimed them in return. They shall be her voice in the days and years to come."

Balin rubbed his forehead. "That'll set some heads to spinning," he admitted.

"Not to put too fine a point on it," Glóin interjected, "but has anyone considered letting Dís know about all this? Might be better if the people were prepared before they got here."

Fíli and Kíli exchanged a look before turning to Thorin. Their uncle glared at them both. "Fine," he grumbled. "I'll send the letter to your mother."

"She's your sister," Nori pointed out, mischief glittering in his smile.

"Yes, thank you." Sarcasm layered thick in Thorin's reply.

Bella bit her lip. "Is something wrong?"

"Not with or for you," Thorin shook his head. "But the longer my sister has to stew over something, the worse her temper grows."

"Mum's a bit like lightning," Kíli nodded. "If she's right in front of you then her temper explodes and it's all over. The sooner it happens, the smaller the explosion."

"But if she has to hold her temper?" Fíli shuddered. "It builds and builds and builds…"

"Oh, dear…"

"You have nothing to worry about," Thorin reassured her. "I, on the other hand, have likely survived the quest, the dragon, and even Azog…only to face something much, much worse at my sister's hands."


End file.
